Latest news with #G.Viswanathan
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
VIT Chennai establishes French Language Club
VIT Chennai on Thursday inaugurated a French Language Club during its MBA Freshers' Induction programme. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between Alliance Française of Madras and VIT Chennai to collaborate on the Diplôme d'Études en Langue Française (DELF) and Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF) examinations. Alliance Française will establish a DELF exam centre for this year. It has a year-long institutional cooperation with VIT Chennai that will enable the latter to host DELF exam sessions such as the DELF Junior, DELF/DALF Tout Public, and DELF Prim. Etienne Rolland Piegue, Consul General of France to Puducherry and Chennai, hoped that the students of VIT would experience French culture while cherishing their own. VIT Founder and Chancellor G. Viswanathan, vice-president G.V. Selvam, Pro Vice-Chancellor T. Thyagarajan and Additional Registrar P.K. Manoharan spoke.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
VIT Chancellor Viswanathan honoured by Tamil Sangam federation in U.S.
The founder and chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), G. Viswanathan, was honoured with the Highly Noble Person award by the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) at a function held at Raleigh in North Carolina, United States, recently. According to a press release, Mr. Viswanathan was awarded for his visionary leadership in founding VIT University and shaping world-class higher education in India. The citation also mentioned his contribution to education, politics and societal development. Around 38 years ago, the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) was established. FeTNA integrates 70 Tamil sangams in North America and promotes Tamil language, culture, literature, trade and development. Every year, FeTNA organises an annual conference and presents awards to distinguished Tamils for their achievement in education, cinema and literature. On the occasion, G.V. Selvam, vice-president, VIT, was present, the release said.
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Central and State governments should spend more funds on education, says VIT chancellor
Governments at the Centre and in the State should spend more on education, especially in higher education, for better infrastructure in educational campuses and encourage economically weak students to pursue studies through scholarships, said G. Viswanathan, founder chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology. In his presidential address during a discussion on 'Empowering Government School Students for Academic Excellence' in Vellore, Mr. Viswanathan said that despite the National Education Policy 2020 aiming to increase the government spending on education to 50% of the GDP by 2035, in the 2025-26 financial budget, spending on education by the Centre is less than three percent. 'Cuba spends 11.5% of its GDP on education, securing the top position among countries spending on education whereas India ranks 155th. Government spending on education should be increased,' he said. The Chancellor added that the North Arcot district, which comprised the present-day Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts, used to be economically and educationally backward many years ago. Public initiatives like scholarships and efforts of the State government have helped reduce this backwardness and increase students' enrolment in schools and colleges. Currently, the gross enrolment Ratio (GER) of Tamil Nadu is over 50% as against the national average of 28%. The discussion, jointly organised by VIT and the Directorate of School Education, was conducted to address the challenges faced in Class 12. On the occasion, S. Kannappan, Director, School Education Department, and V. R. Subbulaxmi, Vellore Collector, also spoke.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Govt. must increase spending on education: VIT Chancellor
: Both the Central and State governments should increase the total spending on education to facilitate the enrolment of more students in schools and colleges, said G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). He was delivering the presidential address at STARS Day 2025 (Support The Advancement of Rural Students), organised by Universal Higher Education Trust of VIT at its campus here. Mr. Viswanathan said lack of adequate spending on education restricted students, especially those in rural areas, from pursuing higher studies as only parents with substantial income could afford their children's higher education. 'In the 2025-26 Union Budget, only 2.5% of the GDP was allocated for education, despite a long-standing demand of 6%,' he said. 'Only around 28% of India's total population pursue higher education as against over 60% in China,' he added. According to him, while at present, per capita income in India stands at $2,700 as against China's $13,100, in 1990, India was ahead of China by over $50. Over the years, India fell behind mainly due to poor fund allocation for education, he said. Meanwhile, 1,014 students in Tamil Nadu have benefitted under the STARS scheme, with around ₹90 crore disbursed since its inception in 2008. On the occasion, Mr. Viswanathan released VIT STARS magazine in the presence of actor Karthi, director T.J. Gnanavel, and VIT vice-presidents Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan.
