Yenepoya Foundation and Yenepoya University distributed ‘Academic Excellence Awards’ to 235 students from 19 institutions for excelling in SSLC, PUC and Under Graduate Examinations in Deralakatte on Monday.

Inaugurating the award function, MLA UT Khader said that the country will be strong only if the students are strong.

“Be a resource to the country. Academic excellence is not the only criteria for success, all round excellence is needed,” he said and regretted that most of the accused in corruption cases and scams are the educated.

“There is a need to impart good moral values, along with education. One born poor need not die poor. Better education and personality can improve a person’s condition,” he said.
Felicitating the students, Yenepoya University Vice-Chancellor P Chandramohan said that the present education system has failed in recognising intelligence. “There are nine types of intelligence, such as music intelligence, leadership intelligence and others. However, our education system recognises only academic intelligence and fails to recognise the talents in students,” he said.

He then repeated Swami Vivekanada’s words, “Education is a process of bringing perfection out of each student”.

The academic excellence awards are given to the students of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod districts, purely on merit basis. The budget allocated for these awards is Rs 10 lakh.

For the year 2010-11, as many as 2,055 applicants from 35 institutions had applied. The award is given to individuals who have scored highest percentage in SSLC, PUC, BA, B Com, B Sc, BBM, B Ed, BCA and to a few minority institutions which have secured 100 per cent results in their respective exams. The award consists of cash awards ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000.

The Yenepoya Foundation is also sponsoring five seats each in MBBS, BDS, B Sc (Nursing) and BPT every year to the Yenepoya Medical, Dental Nursing and Physiotherapy Colleges which are based on merit cum means.

Out of these, one seat in each course is reserved for orphans.