Guwahati, Sept 11: Educational institutions will struggle to remain relevant unless they move beyond conventional teaching and equip students for employment and entrepreneurship, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said here today. Addressing the 65th Foundation Day celebration of Gauhati Commerce College, Pegu said the quality of an institution should be assessed by the employment opportunities and support it creates for its students.

He called upon colleges to redesign their teaching practices and place greater emphasis on skill development, artificial intelligence, information technology and other emerging fields. Skill-based learning, he said, must also encourage students to become entrepreneurs and generate employment rather than depend solely on conventional jobs.

The Minister later visited a blood donation camp organised on the campus and interacted with the student donors. 30 am with Principal Professor Bipul Das hoisting the college flag.

In his address, Das reflected on the institution’s journey, its academic achievements and its plans for the future. Floral tributes were also paid to the martyrs and to the college’s founder-principal, Dr Bhagawan Chandra Lahkar.

Dr Lahkar’s son and Gauhati High Court senior advocate Sanjib Lahkar paid tribute on behalf of the family. The blood donation camp was organised by Smile Makers, a voluntary group of college students, in collaboration with the college community and a city blood bank.

It was inaugurated by Gauhati High Court advocate, social worker and alumnus Bijon Mahajan. The open session was presided over by Professor Bipul Das.

Noted environmentalist Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, speaking at the programme, highlighted the close link between environmental conservation and human welfare. College Governing Body president Dr Uttam Das said the institution had emerged as a significant centre of commerce and management education in Assam over the past six decades.

He said the college had the potential to be upgraded into a university. Recently retired teachers and employees were felicitated on the occasion, along with former students who have distinguished themselves in the civil services.

The celebrations also featured borgeet, Goalpariya lokageet, dances representing Assam’s diverse cultural traditions and songs of Bhupen Hazarika, Jayanta Hazarika and Zubeen Garg. In the evening, students lit 65 earthen lamps and performed diha naam as the illuminated campus brought the Foundation Day programme to a close.