Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Information Technology Kapil Sibal said on Sunday that 800 universities and 26,000 colleges in the country would be linked through a fibre optic network to create a free information highway, as India harnessed new technology to foster sweeping changes in its educational system.
Mr. Sibal said what was needed was convergence of technologies to provide interactive modules on television screens so that anyone could access them. Free flow of information and knowledge could help to develop self-testing modules and self-appraisal procedures.
He was speaking at a function organised here to mark the handing over of the keys of the new library and laboratory buildings for the HMT School, built with the money raised by students of the Rajagiri Public School, Kalamassery, through their I-Share initiative.
Voacational wing
Mr. Sibal, who also interacted with students of the school, said the Ministry of Human Resource Development planned to introduce a vocational wing for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). This initiative was aimed at producing a large number of skilled personnel needed to meet the country's growing demands in various areas of economic activity. He pointed out that very few of the children enrolling in schools went to college. There was an urgent need to take care of this large group.
Mr. Sibal said he was constantly in touch with professionals in the entertainment and hospitality industries for developing courses for students under the CBSE.
He emphasised the need for innovation to reach education to all sections, as the average age of the Indian population would be 29 by 2020, and India would be the work place of the world by 2050. Programme lauded
He lauded the I-Share programme under which each student of the Rajagiri Public School contributed a rupee each a day over a two-year period, raising enough funds to build laboratories and a library for the HMT School.Mr. Sibal handed over the keys of the new buildings in the presence of Director of the Rajagiri Public School Austin Mulerickal and Principal Susan Varghese Cherian.
