JOIN US50K skill education centres to be set up
At the inauguration of Mother Teresa Chair in Indira Gandhi National Open University on Tuesday, chairman of parliamentary standing committee on human resource development Oscar Fernandes announced that the government will establish 50,000 technology and skill education centres that will cater to 50 lakh job aspirants.
“At present, we are catering to 19 per cent of the youth. By 2020, we need to reach out to at least 30 per cent of the youth,” Fernandes said.
An official of IGNOU said, the university will play an intrinsic role under this scheme. “IGNOU is the largest university in the world catering to 29 lakh students in India and abroad and will play a key role in this,” said the vice chancellor Gopinath Pradhan.
The director of School of Social Work, Gracious Thomas said, the main objectives of the Mother Teresa Chair will be to promote socially relevant programmes in the area of philanthropy and inter-religious studies, to undertake extension activities targeting the HIV infected, leprosy patients, street children, refugees, and the destitute.
Also, training and skill development programmes for socio-economic development of vulnerable sections of the society will be to organised under the scheme.
He added that regular training, workshops, seminars, and conferences on socially relevant topic will take place. “We will constitute awards and scholarships for interested students,” he said adding that IGNOU will also celebrate Philanthropic Day on August 26, which is the birthday of Mother Teresa.
The guest of honour, Bishop Jacob Mar Bernabas of Malankara Catholic Church elaborated on the life and struggles of Teresa. “She went around the world preaching the value of human life and radiating the fragrance of the love of God,” he said. “The lepers, the poor, the destitute, orphaned children and the dying people on the street found a place in her heart.”