Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Textiles Minister, has said that a programme is on the anvil which would enable international academicians to come and teach at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, at no extra cost to the institute or the student. This would be on the lines of the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in Higher Education, a programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Speaking at the 22nd Convocation of NIFT, Ms. Irani said that NIFT has been a small revolution that began 30 years ago. Congratulating the graduating students, she highlighted the achievement of two differently abled students – one of them, a girl student with hearing impairment who sat at the back of the class, lip-read and graduated with honours, and the other a boy student who graduated in flying colours, despite having locomotor disability and having to travel a long distance to the institute by Metro every day.
The Minister encouraged the students to reflect on what they could leverage from the textile industry and reminded the graduating students that like doctors, fashion professionals also dealt with the lives of common people every day.
Citing some recent research papers of the faculty members of NIFT, she advised the students that only they could decide on whether they would like to contribute to sub-sectors such as technical textiles, which are of strategic significance to national development. As a nation that prides in self-sufficiency, textile machinery is another area that needs strengthening and support, she added.
Earlier, welcoming the audience, Mr. Sudhir Tripathi, NIFT Director General, spoke of the institute’s contributions to the development of fashion education and industry, and said that the institute provides students an intellectually stimulating environment.
Mr. Chetan Chauhan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, NIFT, exhorted the graduating students to take their learning to the real world and create a globally relevant fashion environment in India.
In all, 325 graduating students received their degrees on the day. This included four doctoral degrees, 92 post-graduate degrees and 229 undergraduate degrees.
Mr. Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India, and faculty members of NIFT were also present on the occasion.