IIT Gandhinagar concludes Dakshana Leadership Programme for engineering aspirants

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) concluded the second edition of the "IITGN-Dakshana Leadership Programme" on June 30. The 25-day residential programme was organized for IIT and engineering aspirants with an aim to hone their leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Students from several government schools, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and rural areas across 16 states in India participated in the programme.

During the residential programme, students received comprehensive training in an IIT environment. The curriculum included a communication skills module, which focused on English language proficiency and communication abilities to build confidence in public speaking, the institute said in a statement.

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Leadership module

The official statement stated that the leadership module had a "Finding a Leader in You" (FLY) programme, which made students aware of their strengths and weaknesses and also introduced them to ethics, perseverance, teamwork, and time management. Additionally, the critical thinking module helped students to ask questions and engage in intellectual exercises.

“The students had the privilege of interacting with IITGN's faculty members and visiting advanced labs on campus” further read the official statement.

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The students whose parents annual income is less than Rs 2 lakh attended the residential programme. 58 out of the 60 Dakshana students who participated in this year's programme have successfully cleared the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE-Advanced) exam this year despite coming from financially weak backgrounds. Ten students from other institutes studying on the scholarship provided by the Foundation for Excellence (FFE) were also included in this year's programme.

Ruyintan Mehta, a USA philanthropist and entrepreneur said: “I can see that you have enjoyed and made the most of this programme and are walking out to be more confident individuals than you were when you had come here. I am impressed by the skills you have developed. As you progress, build your careers in various fields, and start earning big bucks, always remember to give back to society in some way or the other.”

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“What you all have learnt here in three weeks as a result of the enormous amount of efforts by all the collaborators and the team of this programme, make it a part of your life because these skills will help you at every step in your personal and professional journeys. Wherever you go, always do your best and keep alive the interest “to learn”. Because the day you stop learning, you limit your development.” stated the IITGN director Rajat Moona.