‘Indians are the fastest growing community in Oz’

Chennai: With a population of one million, Indians are the fastest growing community in Australia, said Katrina Knapp, vice-consul, Australian Consulate General in Chennai, on Tuesday.
At the university say celebrations at VIT Chennai, Knapp said, "The partnership between the two nations was built on a shared belief in innovation, curiosity, and pushing boundaries." She also highlighted areas of collaboration between the two nations, including the Centre for Australia-India Relations – a platform to support and facilitate work across govt, industry, academia, and society with support from Australian missions. "Through MAITRI, Australia announced 20 million Australian dollars worth of fellowships, scholarships, and research grants," she added.
VIT founder and chancellor G Viswanathan said Australia's per capita income was $68,000, and this was possible as it spent 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on education. "The allocation to education in the Union Budget was a meagre 2.5% against the total outlay of 50 lakh crore. The New Education Policy recommends spending 6% of GDP on education. The same was recommended by the Kothari Commission 60 years ago. The govt of India and the state govts should focus on investing more in education than on freebies," he said.
He also pointed out that among 13 crore eligible youth, only four crore had access to universities and colleges. "India's remittances (by way of people employed abroad sending money back home) in 2024 11 lakh crore, the highest in the world. If GER in higher education increases, there will be an exponential increase in remittances," Viswanathan added.
Sudeep Kunnumal, chief human resources officer designate, Tata Consultancy Services, who was the guest of honour, said the event celebrated the hard work of students over several months.
G V Selvam, vice-president, VIT, offered his felicitations to students. P K Manoharan, additional registrar, welcomed the gathering, while T Thyagarajan, pro-vice chancellor, presented the annual report of VIT Chennai. Meritorious rank holders from different departments received awards on the occasion.