Guwahati : Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has urged technical institutes to encourage the enrolment of more female students as the number of females taking admissions in such courses is fewer than males. 

Speaking at the 6th convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Guwahati, on Friday, he pointed out that technical educational institutes have a lower girls’ enrolment rate than that conventional studies.

He asked the authorities of these institutes to find ways to encourage more girls to join the technical courses. Girls have demonstrated their capability in every field, and providing them with proper opportunities would be the right way to empower them, Kataria said.

The governor appealed to the graduates to utilise their expertise properly and bring about holistic and positive changes in society.

He congratulated the graduating students, saying, “This convocation is an important occasion in an academic journey, which is a testament to the years of hard work, dedication and determination of a student.” After completing one phase of learning, unlimited opportunities are waiting for the students, he said, urging them to overcome challenges and make meaningful contributions to the betterment of society.

Highlighting the role of an educational institute in disseminating knowledge and stimulating skill development, he said information technology in the present digital age is being used in almost every field to increase the convenience of modern life.

The governor also maintained that India has assumed a leading role in the field of information technology globally.

Former director of IIT-Kharagpur Prof. Partha Pratim Chakraborty, chairman of the board of governors of IIIT-Guwahati Satyavrat Dev, and director of IIIT-Guwahati Prof. Sharat Kumar Patra also spoke on the occasion.

Altogether 227 students were awarded graduate and post-graduate degrees on the occasion, which included 177 B Tech, 41 M Tech and 9 PhDs, a Raj Bhawan release said.