Dr PG Rao, Vice Chancellor and Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor, USTM, holding the Award of Excellence received by ERDF from NEDFi on the occasion of the latter’s 20th anniversary celebrations at USTM PR Day function in Guwahati on Sunday.
The USTM Public Relations Day was celebrated with a multi agenda function held at Hotel Landmark in Guwahati on sunday. Welcoming the guests on the occasion, Dr PG Rao, VC, University of Science & Technology Meghalaya (USTM) presented a bird’s eye view of the emergence of Education, Research, & Development Foundation (ERDF) as the fastest growing education network of the North East over a period of about 15 years. Dr Rao along with Dr Ni Putu Tirka Widanti of University of Nugrah Rai, Denpasar (Indonesia) participated in the signing of an MoU that would open up new avenues of human resource and information exchange between the two universities.
15 awards under seven different categories were handed over to the winners of the first ever All North East College Magazine Competition that was organised by USTM earlier in the year. The awards for the three best college magazines went to College of Veterinary Sciences, Guwahati: Cotton College, Guwahati; and Doom Dooma College, Doom Dooma. The editorial committees of these colleges received one desktop computer, a memento, and a certificate each. PJ Baruah, Executive Editor, The Assam Tribune and Anisul Hoque, Director, Resonance Brand Communications, who were members of the Jury that evaluated the competition, spoke on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, HN Das, former Chief Secretary, Assam; Dr AC Bhagawati, former VC, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh; Padmashir Lakhinandan Bora, former President, Asom Sahitya Sabha; and Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, Pro VC, Tezpur University recalled their long association with ERDF, simultaneously showering accolades for the innovativeness and excellence displayed by the different schools of the USTM.
“Media has been one of our backbones in our march forward over the years and as a token of gratitude to them, today I am informing that one seat each would be reserved for an accredited media person or his/her immediate family member in every course in USTM,” announced Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor USTM and Chairman ERDF. He further informed the gathering that ten per cent of all seats in USTM & RIST are reserved for free education of meritorious BPL students and requested the media to carry this information to the remotest corners of the State so that the most deserving boys and girls could take advantage of this offer.
In his address as the chief guest, RS Mooshahary, former Governor of Meghalaya, said that there is no denying of the fact that knowledge is power. He added, “But this power may be misused without character and morality. When character and morality are present along with knowledge that is real education.”
Prof NK Choudhury, former VC, Gauhati University and Principal Adviser ERDF, said that USTM is always innovative and it is perhaps unique in the way it takes care of education for all ages – right from pre primary to PhD.
Earlier in the day, ERDF received an award of excellence from the North East Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) coinciding with the 20th anniversary celebration of the latter. As a result, the celebration of USTM PR Day attained all the more enthusiasm and jubilation befitting the occasion.
