Retired IAS officer and former chairperson of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Rita Teaotia, on Sunday underscored the need for pairing engineering with liberal arts. Speaking at 15th foundation day of Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), Teaotia said, “To make our graduates equipped with skills needed for jobs, the National Education Policy recommends the integration of liberal arts, as it prepares one not only for the first job but also for the entire career. With Fourth Industrial Revolution and the rapidly-changing employment landscape, liberal arts education is more important and useful for one’s employment than ever before.” The current technological age is known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, marked by a fusion of technologies straddling the physical, digital and biological worlds. According to a statement issued by IITGN, Teaotia said, “The enhancement of critical and creative thinking, the capacity to exercise one’s imagination and cultivating subjective ways of thinking about social realities are some of the greatest benefits of providing liberal arts education to our engineers so that they can create technologies that enhance lives, design sustainable solutions and communicate their ideas.” Urging young minds, Teaotia added, “All of you are going to shape the future of this country as professionals, and hence, it is important that you understand the urgent need for climate-resilient development and make the right choices as engineers and professionals. Renewable energy solutions, waste reduction initiatives, and eco-friendly urban planning do not only mitigate environmental damage but can be economically viable as well.” In his speech, IITGN Director Prof Rajat Moona acknowledged the support extended by all stakeholders in the early years of the institute. “Fifteen years ago, a new era was born when IITGN was established. The entire journey has been remarkable and culminated in such a way that today we can talk of IITGN as an example to others.”
