President Ram Nath Kovind has graced the fifth convocation of Sikkim University as the chief guest at Manan Kendra on Sunday.
On the occasion, he presented gold medals to top 11 students from various schools and affiliated colleges under Sikkim University.
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He was welcomed by the Governor, Ganga Prasad and the chief minister, P S Golay among other dignitaries.
In his convocation address, the president urged students to be ready for the responsibilities and challenges that lie ahead.
He stressed that the goal of education was to make good human beings, and added that it was the key to being successful in any profession.
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He congratulated all students and their parents and guardians for their accomplishment.
He reminded the audience that Sikkim University has evolved into a unique centre of higher learning in just twelve years of its establishment.
The President suggested that Sikkim University could start a practice called ‘University Social Responsibility’ in the lines of Corporate Social Responsibility.
He suggested that USR could entail activities like adoption of nearby villages and carrying out service activities like immunization, nutrition camp, cleanliness, free education and other such services which would add value to the lives of people in need.
Speaking about the natural bounty of Sikkim and its good practices, the President said that the people of Sikkim were known for their civic sense and hospitality.
He also lauded the state of Sikkim for its effort in bio-diversity conservation, promotion of overall hygiene, tourism, promotion of communal and cultural harmony, women empowerment, education development, and maintenance of its cultural heritage and places of worship.
He stated that Sikkim has created a unique place for itself among the Himalayan states of India courtesy its unique practices and development model.
He also made a mention of famous sports persons from Sikkim like Baichung Bhutia, Nirmal Chettri and Tarundeep Rai who have brought laurels to the State and the country.
Likewise, the Governor, who is also the chief rector of SU, congratulated all the students for being awarded their degrees in the presence of the President.
He expressed his gratitude to the President for his visit to Sikkim and added that his visit has added great value to the State.
He also expressed his happiness on initiatives being taken by Sikkim University to impart multi-disciplinary knowledge and at the same time preserving the local and regional ethos and values like morality, sensibility and humanity.
In his address, the chief minister profusely thanked the President for his visit to Sikkim.
He congratulated the faculty, officials and students for successfully organizing the convocation ceremony.
He said that Sikkim University has established itself as a core body for higher education in the State, with great all-round progress made in the last one decade.