Edu Epoch
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
According to the 2001 Census, 65 per cent of Indians are literate. And almost every child now has access to a school, with around 95 per cent of our rural population having a primary school within one kilometer of their habitation. This is a significant achievement.
But the big questions are: what is the quality of education available at these schools? Is the quality improving? When these are the questions, is it right to talk about 'IT' in schools? Is IT going to improve quality? IT in schools will not only mean providing computers for education, but will also mean using latest technology to improve quality of education, will also mean using IT for better management of the institution, will also mean bridging the Digital Divide. It is indeed encouraging to hear about projects in the slums of New Delhi, in the fishermen's' communities of Pondicherry and in the villages of Madhya Pradesh. These projects have demonstrated that information technology can and does positively impact the lives and livelihoods of the poor and semi-literate. Then, IT will surely help in bringing up the quality of education in rural or semi-rural or urban areas.
Less than a decade ago, Bhubaneswar, the sleepy capital city of Orissa, an eastern state of Indian union had hardly any technical institution. Its graduation from a non-happening city to a technology savvy and the most happening city would not have been possible without the pragmatic approach and attitudinal changes of the policy makers and the industry people. The process of transformation could be expedited because of the establishment of technical institutions which now talk about wireless campuses.
We would like to play our small role, to begin with, in this massive 'society change program'. We will have a Edu Epoch in the month of August '06. We will try to display articles, which might be helpful in this regard. And as usual the Educational software will be the focus of the month. Our mail campaign will focus on Education. Do write to us at eduepoch@ipott.com
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