[ Indu Chukhu ]
ITANAGAR, 9 Dec: Ten students received gold medals – five each in BTech and MTech – during the 11th convocation of Jote-based National Institute of Technology (NIT) on Monday.
Twenty-three PhD students were awarded PhD degrees in the convocation function held at DK Convention Hall here.
Priyanka Mena, an MTech student of the innovation & entrepreneurship department, and Shivani Agrawal, a Btech student of computer science engineering, received the Chairman’s Gold Medal.
Daughter of Namne Mena and late B Mena, Priyanka is a native of Singa village in Upper Siang district. She did her schooling from Ramakrishna Sarada Mission School, Khonsa (Tirap) district, and BTech in civil engineering from Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad (Haryana). Agrawal is a native of Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
Addressing the gathering of students, parents, faculty members, and staff of the NIT, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation and Padma Shri awardee AS Kiran Kumar, who attended the convocation as a guest, congratulated the graduating students “for having achieved a landmark through excellent academic performance.”
He expressed appreciation for the parents, saying that their support enabled the students to reach where they are today.
Kumar advised the students to become lifelong learners by adopting a positive and progressive mindset. He also advised the students to make use of the knowledge and skills that they have acquired from the institute.
NIT Board of Governors Chairperson Subhash Kumar said, “The 11th convocation is a mark of the successful decade’s journey of NIT Arunachal with the blessings of various stakeholders.”
He said: “Our institute is poised for the journey of growth. It is taking steps to build the basic components which are required to be one of the good technical institutes in the state.”
He also highlighted that, after its shift from the Yupia campus to Jote in 2022, the institute is facing certain challenges due to its location. However, he lauded the support received from the state government “which made the institute confident to prepare to be the best NIT in the Northeast region.”
He highlighted the amenities that will be available soon on campus, such as regular water supply and an all-weather road, and added that the campus already has Airtel network.
Encouraging the outgoing students, he said, “All of you are going to face real life with lots of expectations and responsibilities,” and advised them to “build character, because worthwhile contribution requires ethics, leadership and compassionate behaviour.”
He further urged the students to embrace change, continue learning, and become lifelong learners in an ever evolving world.
Speaking to The Arunachal Times, NIT Director Prof Mohan V Aware said that, “despite providing more than 60 percent of job placements from the institute, especially focusing on local students, the students here are reluctant to work outside the state.”
He expressed hope that in “the near future this would be an ice breaker, so that students may go to other states, gain experience and come back.”
