‘Opportunity for students to solve real life problems’

Madurai: The smart city programme encompasses various disciplines including engineering, economics and architecture and offers excellent opportunities for educational institutions to enhance the knowledge of their students by making them participate in the programme, said the principal of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Dr V Abhai Kumar.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the 24th Asia Construct and smart cities: opportunities and challenges,” organized by Construction Industry Development Council and Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India), Madurai centre on Tuesday. Millennial students who come to universities are looking for opportunities to solve real life problems. Hence the universities also need to think beyond the traditional curriculum and design it to meet the demand of the students he said. If that is not done, the number of students going for higher education may come down, he added.

Director General, Construction Industry Developmental Council, Dr P R Swarup, said that skilling of human resource was a major target of the smart city programme and the council was working with the Central Public Works Department and conducting mega skilling camps. It was important to ensure that all stakeholders participated in the programme to achieve the target, he said. A major skilling camp for south India would be organised in Madurai or Trichy, soon, he said. Public opinion and ideas should be given importance in smart city programmes for better results, said professor Michael Anson, Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. TNN