4 months ago
2
Providing prime acquisition and expanding enrolment successful colleges and universities clasp the cardinal to improving the system of the state and curtailing inequality, G. Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), said successful Chennai connected Thursday (February 12, 2026).
At the inaugural league of The Hindu Tech Summit 2026, jointly organised by The Hindu Group, Vellore Institute of Technology, and Sify Technologies, Dr. Viswanathan said that successful the past 20 years oregon so, the system has grown to spot India arsenic the fourth-largest system successful the world, overtaking Japan successful 2025. Alongside, inequality has grown arsenic well, with lone astir 70 lakh radical successful the state declaring themselves arsenic belonging to the higher income group. “They accidental India is the astir unequal state successful the world, adjacent lone to Russia. Unless we supply education, this cannot beryllium curtailed. It requires authorities policy,” Dr. Viswanathan iterated. For this, acquisition should scope each children belonging to mediocre families and the mediate class.
Quoting figures, helium said Japan’s per capita income was 12 times that of India. While India’s per capita income stood astatine USD 2,900, Japan’s was USD 36,000. While immoderate authorities officials exuded assurance that India could overtake Germany successful a fewer years, it should beryllium borne successful caput that Germany’s per capita income was USD 58,000 – 20 times that of India. “In the twelvemonth 2000, determination were lone 9 billionaires successful the country. Now, we person grown beyond 300,” helium maintained.
The caller acquisition policy’s thrust to amended gross enrolment ratio from the contiguous 28% to 50% successful the adjacent 15 years would mean that the fig of students successful colleges and universities needed to beryllium doubled. This, Dr. Viswanath said, meant that idiosyncratic had to wage for them. In the contiguous scenario, the load of higher acquisition was mostly connected the learner; the authorities spent hardly 3% to 4% of the GDP, though the Kothari Commission successful the sixties had recommended an expenditure of astatine slightest 6% of the GDP.
Due to deficiency of spending, lone 4 crore children retired of 14 crore eligible for higher acquisition are successful colleges and universities. Similarly, if India were to vie with developed countries, the spending connected probe and improvement should beryllium accrued manifold from the contiguous 0.7%.
Tracing the past of VIT, Dr. Viswanathan said that what started successful 1984 with 180 students has present grown to accommodate 1 lakh students from each Indian States and 75 different countries.
Role of AI
“AI is not a disruptor; AI is an evolution,” said Raju Vegesna, Chairman and Managing Director, Sify Technologies, delivering the keynote address. “Just arsenic the net enbaled america to scope places and stock knowledge, we volition get each those benefits from AI arsenic well,” helium added. While India could beryllium lagging down successful higher education, Mr. Vegesna exuded assurance that the state volition person its unsocial mode to code the transformations and the market.
Giving an example, helium said that AI was similar giving a bicycle rider a motorcycle; it ensured that they reached much places faster, though the tech volition person to beryllium adopted with caution. India’s chances successful the crippled was connected however to follow AI exertion for the payment of enterprises.
Among those contiguous astatine the inaugural league were Santhosh T.G., Chief Digital Officer, Switch Mobility, Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu, L.V. Navaneeth, Chief Executive Officer, The Hindu Group, and Suresh Balakrishna, Chief Revenue Officer, The Hindu Group.
