Vice President C P Radhakrishnan recently asserted that education must go beyond textbooks and examinations to nurture critical thinking, empathy and integrity among students, describing these values as the foundation of a strong and progressive nation.

He was inaugurating the centenary celebrations of St. Stephen’s Higher Secondary School at Pathanapuram in Kerala, where he addressed students, teachers and alumni gathered to mark the institution’s 100-year journey.

In his address, the Vice President underlined that education must shape both intellect and character.

He stressed that young minds should be encouraged to question, reflect and act with compassion and honesty, noting that academic excellence alone cannot define true learning.

Turning to the growing concern of substance abuse, he called for a collective social response.

Awareness against drug abuse, he said, must evolve into a people’s movement that cuts across social, economic and cultural barriers. Educational institutions, he added, have a pivotal role in safeguarding youth by fostering awareness, discipline and moral responsibility.

Linking Kerala’s progress to the nation’s broader aspirations, he observed that a “Vikasit Kerala” is integral to the vision of a “Viksit Bharat”.

Schools and colleges, he said, are central to this transformation, as they prepare citizens who will drive innovation, social harmony and ethical leadership.

As part of the centenary celebrations, the Vice President unveiled the foundation plaque of a newly constructed school building complex, symbolising the institution’s continued expansion. 

He also watered a sapling to be planted on the campus, handing it over to school authorities as a gesture underscoring sustainability and growth.

The event concluded with students presenting a prayer song, after which the Vice President interacted with them and posed for photographs, marking a ceremonial highlight of the milestone celebration.

The centenary of the Pathanapuram institution thus became more than a commemoration of its past — it served as a call to reimagine education as a force that builds thoughtful, empathetic and principled citizens for a developing India.