Chennai: To curb the misuse of fake certificates in employment and enhance opportunities for deserving candidates, a single national database is essential, said Anil Sahasrabude, Chairman of Executive Committee , National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

The 45th convocation of Anna University took place in Guindy, Chennai, with Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi conferring degrees on 68 top students, including 36 gold medalists and 503 students with high scores.

In total, 1,15,393 students graduated this year, including 94,638 undergraduates, 20,319 master's degree recipients, 435 Ph.D. awardees, and one M.S. graduate. Higher Education Secretary Gopal presented the university's annual report.

Anil Sahasrabude highlighted key developments in education reform, emphasizing the shift toward globally competitive and employable education. He noted the importance of aligning educational standards both domestically and internationally, which the central government has addressed through a new education policy. This includes promoting mother tongue education, with engineering courses now taught in Tamil.

Sahasrabude celebrated Tamil Nadu's progress, achieving a 50% higher education participation rate. He added that India has climbed in the global innovation ranking from 81st to 39th in nine years and is on track to reach the top 10.

Since 2014, India's startup ecosystem has expanded significantly, growing from 400 to over 1.25 lakh startups. With the economy advancing from 10th to 5th globally, Sahasrabude expressed confidence in further progress.

To support this growth, the central government is developing a secure data platform to safeguard university and college records, prevent forgery, and streamline employment. Students can register their academic achievements, talents, and other credentials on a national website accessible to employers across the country, eliminating the need for physical certificates.

Sahasrabude also stressed the importance of lifelong learning, noting that the government provides advanced online education to help graduates stay current.

University Registrar Prakash, Examination Controller Sakthivel, and other officials attended the event. Although Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhian was included in the guest list, he did not attend.