Celebrating the Spirit of ICT and Learning

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September 1, 2009

‘Change is the only constant.‘ Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

Change is not only something we must accept, but it is actually something to celebrate. eINDIA 2009, has for the fifth time come together to celebrate and typify the valuable and poignant role of Information, Communication and Technology in education. Education has for long remained the single point agenda for policy and decision makers to deliberate and discuss upon, the primary objective being to improve the standard and value of education for the student community, the populous who will form the future citizenry of India. Gender parity, arresting the drop-out rates, dealing with teacher absenteeism and bridging the digital divide are a few of the concerns which have been given due priority.

Dear Readers! You would agree today that Research and Education are at the centre of economic and social development and are prerequisites to technological development. In return, the mastery of ICTs could contribute to the improvement of the quality of education. From that moment, integrating ICTs to education becomes a privileged means likely to encourage the emergence of a high level technological socio-economic sector. Keeping the issues in view, the Digital Learning track at eINDIA 2009 seeks to bring to you some of the key speakers in the conference, who have been able to highlight issues such as equipment, software and connectivity, while they underlie the low-level of techno- pedagogic skills of teachers, the absence of an appropriate introductory strategy of ICTs in educational institutions, as well as the absence or paradoxical nature of policies. The chosen leaders represent the best minds in their field knowledge and their contribution would provide for an invigorating and learning experience for all.

The cross-country sharing of experiences and regional specificities has always ensured that new and possible collaborations are discussed and forged. With the eINDIA 2009 Award nomination coverage, every reader will find, according to their interest, information that is likely to generate after thoughts, inspire actions, bring into focus the policy and the management provisions. As the patrons, we at Digital Learning, take this privilege to recognise and honour the good practices and initiatives of excellence and present those before you!

At eINDIA 2009 we celebrate CHANGE, the change brought about in the community, schools, colleges and grassroots, through the application of ICTs; the change that will fuel the process further and usher in an era of digitally integrated and inclusive society for all. Come join in the euphoria!

Learning Made Easy Through Virtual Instructors

Magazine

By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

www.topchalks.com

Shilpa couldn't conceal her excitement when she was offered admission to the BSc Computer Science Honors program at Delhi University. It was her dream to become a software programmer with specialisation in animation. After all, it was only a year back when she often wondered if her dream was ever going to be realised.

Shilpa hailed from a typical middle class family in Delhi. Her father was a businessman who had dabbled in several different small businesses. When he decided to become a travel agent a few years ago, Shilpa didn't realize it was a decision which was going to alter her life fundamentally.

The first thing her father did on becoming a travel agent was to buy a computer. He operated his business out of his own home and consequently Shilpa and her elder sister started experimenting with the newly acquired toy, much to the annoyance of their mother. The mother would often complain to her husband about the valuable time being wasted away on the computer. But that didn't deter Shilpa. She was amazed by the vast amount of knowledge available on the web. Most importantly, she felt she knew what she wanted to do with her career.

Developing a career in computers was not going to be easy. Shilpa realised she had to get admitted to a good computer program in college and for that, she needed to excel in her Class 12th Boards.

Shilpa had been a good student all her life. But it was painting, drama, declamation, singing and anchoring which interested her even more. Like all the other students in her class, she often complained about the lack of time to do everything. But, unlike all the other students in her class, she wanted to remain an all-rounder.
When her father moved her to a new school for the completion of Class XIth, Shilpa realized that all the students around her were taking tuition classes to get that extra edge for the examinations. Her mother insisted that she attend classes at the local tutor's. Shilpa was not keen at all. She had asked a few friends about the tuition classes and while she saw some benefit in them, she realized she would be wasting more time and money than she would want to. She understood her parent's financial conditions and didn't want to burden them with yet another educational cost.

The situation was not ideal for her. She understood the importance of getting the extra marks in her board exams to get the college and subject of her choice and yet she was not getting the appropriate
academic guidance in school or anywhere else. Shilpa's parents were worried as well. They wanted Shilpa to get the additional help which they knew all the other kids were getting. But they always knew that they had a stubborn daughter who would do things her way.

One day Shilpa's father got an SMS from an unknown number: 'Visit TopChalks.com and study Maths for as little as Rs 99 per month' He didn't know what that really meant and forwarded the message to his daughter.

Shilpa, always interested about the new things that the Internet had to offer, checked out TopChalks.com. She was pleasantly surprised to see comprehensive audio-video lectures on her entire Class X11th syllabus for all her subjects. There were quite a few companies offering tests and some concepts but no one was covering the entire subject matter in such a unique and complete way as TopChalks.

The site, not only, had employed some of the best teachers from various schools to deliver the lectures but had also presented the lectures in a very unique audio-visual format. The lectures were led by the instructors, were full of graphics and animations to explain the concepts and yet to Shilpa's delight the lectures didn't take forever to download on her average-low-speed Internet connection.

Shilpa asked her father to enroll her in the Maths and Physics package being offered by TopChalks.com. Her father didn't hesitate for a moment and Shilpa spent the next several months being coached by the “virtual” instructors at TopChalks.com. Her favourite part was that she could study the material at her own pace, anytime during the day and keep repeating the material that she couldn't understand completely. Every once in a while when she had doubts, she would post them on the forums maintained by TopChalks and got her questions promptly answered by the faculty as well as other supportive students.

With such a comprehensive preparation, Shilpa wasn't nervous at all on the day of the exams. When the results came out, she had done wonderfully in all her exams and had secured grades far beyond her parent's expectations.

Now Shilpa has started studying Computer Science in Delhi University. She often tells the TopChalks folks to prepare similar content for her college level classes too!

HCL Ties-Up with Delhi University for providing ICT Training to Students

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

www.hclinfosystems.in

HCL Infosystems, India's premier information enabling company has entered into a tie-up with Delhi University for imparting ICT training to students. University of Delhi's Campus of Open Learning (COL) has introduced various short-term professional training programs to bridge the skill-gap of its students. As part of this initiative, COL has signed an MoU with HCL Infosystems for conducting programmes on ICT and web technology at its Centre for Professional and Technical Training, Keshav Puram. This tie-up aims to create a new generation of highly-skilled IT professionals who possess the industry perspective and practical understanding to become employable and productive from day one.

As part of the tie-up, HCL will offer six months programme which will include courses like Linux with Convergence Technologies Innovation (LCTI), Web Development Using PHP (WDPHP) and Web Designing (WD) for students. The course will be an ideal combination of conceptual instruction and practical exposure for four months, followed by industry internship for two months. Application form and further details are available at www.col.du.ac.in.

“We believe that our students should be equipped with skills required by the industries, and therefore, these courses have been designed in consultation with the industry which includes Hands- on -Training as well”, said Dr. Savita Datta ,Director, COL.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. George Paul, Executive Vice President, HCL Infosystems Ltd said, “Despite the rapid mushrooming of IT institutes, industry ready trained manpower is still in short supply. HCL courses have been designed to transform young students into industry-ready professionals, who are ready to take on ICT industry responsibilities without the need for any further training on the job. We have set up alliances with leading IT corporations such as IBM, Microsoft, Red Hat and Oracle that help in creating state of the art curriculum as well as adopting global best practices in IT.”

Adding further, Prof. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, said, “This centre is established with a view to provide employability skills to the various students pursuing undergraduate courses at the University of Delhi and offers various affordable short-term courses in partnership with industry partners like HCL.”

About University of Delhi

The University of Delhi is the premier University of the country and is known for its high standards in teaching and research and attracts eminent scholars to its faculty. It has also been declared as the Centre of Excellence.”

About HCL Infosystems

HCL Infosystems Ltd, with revenue (LTM) of US $ 2.7 billion is India's premier information enabling and ICT System Integration company offering a wide spectrum of ICT products that includes Computing, Storage, Networking, Security, Telecom, Imaging and Retail. HCL is a one-stop-shop for all the ICT requirements of an organization.

HCL has India's largest distribution and retail network, taking to market a range of Digital Lifestyle products in partnership with leading global ICT brands, including Apple, Cisco, Ericsson, Kingston, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Microsoft, Nokia, Toshiba, and many more.

With India's largest ICT services network that reaches to every corner of India, HCL's award winning Support Services makes it the preferred choice of enterprise and consumers alike.

HCL Infosystems has a 100% subsidiary that addresses the physical security technology system integration market. The subsidiary leverages technology to build a security framework called 'Safe State' that will safe guard life, infrastructure & society. For more information please visit us at www.hclinfosystems.in

Bringing Classroom Sessions Alive

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

www.hitachiconsumer.com/in

FX-Series Starboard (Essential interactive whiteboard for teaching, presentations & meetings) is made without embedding any wires in the board itself. This allows the board to be functional even in case the board surface is dented.

Key Features

DATA STORAGE AND TRANSFER:
Starboard software allows teacher to save lessons to be reviewed and used later. One does not have to create fresh lesson plans for the same subject. Also, one can email lesson plans to the absent learners. Starboard Software supports PDF, HTML, Images (jpg.png) output.

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY:
Hitachi Starboards offer the feature of viewing and navigating the internet on the interactive whiteboard; thus enables surfing and display of websites which the entire class can see.

MULTI-MEDIA FACILITY:
Starboard can receive inputs from various multimedia devices like camcorders, DVD players, etc. This enables the Starboard to display video-clips or movie files, which make learning and presentations very engaging.

REMOTE WRITING:
In case the user wants to use the Starboard from a distance he can do so by connecting it with the Hitachi BT-2G Bluetooth tablet.

ANNOTATION:
Hotachi Starboards allow users to write on top of presentations / pictures / spread sheets / text. It even allows the user to write on movies without pausing the movie.

CONFERENCING:
One can remote conference between two Starboards, i.e. one presenter can be in one location and the other in another location. Up to 50 Starboards can be connected at a time.

Benefits for Teachers

Improved presentation by using ICT with the whole class.
Potential to instantaneously revisit or adapt previous work.
Facility to immediately respond to student needs by manipulating shapes and text.
Better planning and more effective lesson management, on a day-to-day and year-to-year-basis.

Benefits for Students

Enhanced performance & increased self-confidence.
Ability to cope with more complex concepts.
Motivation and involvement in learning. Improved behavior has been observed as a by-product.
Clear and attractive presentation of a student's thoughts.
Accommodating different learning styles.

Answering the Learning Needs of New Age Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

It’s the age of Education …That Clicks. Textbook, blackboard, and classroom education is fast blending with new age learning technology. It has become apparent that a good educational system will work only if it teaches young people how to incorporate learning in their lives.

Digital Education For All

Extramarks deliverables, In-School Study Support and After-School Study Support programmes are the reflection of its effort to introduce a new concept of teaching, assessment and excellence in the teaching and learning process. Being an ICT (Info Communication Technological) organisation, all its products are technology based and scientific in nature. In addition it provides teachers support and training program to empower the teachers with the knowledge of latest technology and digital study modules of Extramarks.

In-School Study Support

Smart Learn Class provides state-of-art technology enabled teaching environment that allows standardisation of delivery, structured learning content, thereby reducing confusion and enhancing classroom teaching experience. All the study modules are mapped class-wise, subject-wise and chapter-wise.

Unique Study Modules

Extramarks study modules direct a student towards HOTS (High Order Thinking Skills – CBSE’s necessary learning requisite) and aim at increased retention, performance enhancement of the students. Creativity is the core element that drives Extramarks product team. All our learning modules are simple – they are layered, hierarchical, logically flowing content that is easy to teach and comprehend. Extramarks Mindmaps give a snapshot of each chapter, presented in a flow chart that highlights the important concepts in the chapter logically and hierarchically; that help in easy assimilation of the key factors in a chapter.

Extramarks Smart Learning Modules further explain each chapter through a visual, graphical and concise presentation. Each chapter is explained, starting from basic to advance level, to help the student grasp the topic naturally and gradually.

Extramarks Test Modules are intensive tests that focus on recall, practice and developing High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). An exhaustive bank of Model Test Papers, Online Tests, Solved Previous Board Papers and Practice Papers help in exam preparation.

Online tests based multiple choice questions format can be taken as per the flexibility of subject, chapter, time, and difficulty level. They help to examine the student’s clarity on the topic and helps them identify, work upon their learning gaps. Extramarks Smart Learn Class and Extramarks Assessment Center allow unlimited access to scientifically designed study material to be used as teaching aid in the classroom.

Study Support Bridge – From School to Home

Extramarks not only provides complete help in the schools but also forms a study bridge from school to home. This enables the student to access all the study tools used in Smart Learn Class in their home at own pace and convenience. In addition to In-School Study Modules of Extramarks, students can also avail other services like Virtual Class, Ask a Teacher, Ask a Counselor, Board Help, Creativity Zone, Extramarks Networks – all intended to make learning simple and comprehendible.

Personalised Attention

Live Virtual Class gives the students power to demand their class as per their need in the comfort of home saving time, cost and inconvenience. Be it to discuss the homework, school assignments or get simple explanation of complex topics, Extramarks subject experts are present Anytime for the student. Ask a Teacher service helps student get the answers of their email generated queries and have better understanding of the concepts.

Empowering Teachers

Development of procedural skill to increase the proficiency of the educators so that they can add a new dimension in the teaching process has been another important forte of Extramarks. To accomplish this, Extramarks offers Computer Based Training & Workshops and Training on Computer Aided Learning, both a novel approach in pedagogy.

To be in sync with the requirement of Gen Z, teachers are trained to use latest techniques and handle a CAL driven classroom – having technology integrated Extramarks study modules.

Far From the Madding Crowd

Having more than 5 lakh members across India in less than one year of its operation is the testimonial to the commitment and quality in offering digital education. Extramarks strives to stand apart from the crowd of digital eLearning solutions by making learning a simple and lasting experience. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” So, Extramarks is your One Spot Solution that answers all your learning needs in the best possible manner that you could have ever imagined

The Reality That is India

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

India today is on the starting curve of a growth explosion. The fundamentals are strong and sentiments are moving from weak to medium as the recession seems to be entering a recovery phase globally. The coming three years will be defining moments for economies networking and vying for global space. The key factor is consumption. The mandate is quite clear before all concerned that the GDP has to see closer to double digit growth in order to keep the economy and society on track towards 2020. And the transition towards a knowledge and information economy has already begun. Knowledge and information are the two pillars on which institutions businesses and consumers will come together to grow together in business and societal models.

The Indian worker – a global reality

Human resource and knowledge will be the key to this growth. Recent reports suggest that the number of trained people needed to fuel this growth will be nearer to 2.5 million by 2011-2012. This requires huge inputs in the area of learning and training of skills and processes. In K 12 and adult and continuing education there is a large gap between capacities and appetite.

In addition to impacting the K 12 sector heavily, on line learning will play a big role in shaping the social capital in traditional sectors like agriculture and health to emerging sectors like tourism and retail. This is purely because on line learning gives instant and wide access to validated knowledge and certification to generate employability and professional competence.

In the process service providers in telecom and broadband, RFID, mobility, television and the Internet are coming together to create a huge networked platform to deliver learning. In sectors like telecom and retail where investments in the coming three years run into billions the shortage of trained manpower is most acute. This shortage will get augmented through institutional as well as online learning after K 12. The proliferation of distance learning and adult and continuing education is just the beginning of the online revolution that is coming.

What Invidya is doing

Invidya works on designing and delivering next generation knowledge solutions driven by innovation and passion.

Invidya specialises in building knowledge solutions for the education and learning/training sector with an eye to the future of technology and globalization.
Invidya today is one of the fastest growing knowledge design and delivery boutiques. Backed by a total domain experience of over 80 years Invidya works with large trans-national customers building content and technology solutions for global delivery.
Invidya is ISO 9001:2000 certified and works seamlessly across development platforms to design and deliver content to a diverse range of user profiles.
Invidya has brought together leading talents in cutting edge solution design, instruction design and content design to work on site and off site in fast growing business verticals.
Invidya has a wide repertoire of skills and experience in the area of K 12 education, language skills, telecom, retail, AIDs, agriculture, automobile engineering, banking, financial services, teacher training and NGO training.
Invidya designs solutions to build on line training, deploy and deliver learning and training, manage knowledge repositories and learning paths, training management and tracking platforms, custom content, repurposing of content, compliance, test and assessment designs and engines, complex behavioral skills training that are online, simulations and gaming, documentations and presentations.
Invidya delivers one of the highest ROI on training to customer organizations through proven methodologies and constant validations.

We are pursuing new developments in the area of distributed learning through integrated technology platforms on television, local community enterprises, IPTV, mobile telephony, simulated environments with diverse partners.

Invidya has achieved tremendous growth since its inception and is widely invested in technology and skills. We have a strong R&D orientation and invest almost a third of our capital on R&D alone to continuously innovate and validate new methodologies in online learning. Invidya is innovative, inclusive and Indian.

Sonjib Mukharjee

Sonjib Mukharjee is the Founder, CEO, Invidya, the new generation knowledge solution company. This eLearning Company is based in Bangalore and operates across India, US, APAC and the Middle East. The company has proven expertise in designing and delivering custom eLearning solutions and is a forerunner in new generation learning solutions across user groups and platforms.

Mark your calendar : September 2009

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By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

In Times of Crisis
2 October 2009
Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
http://www.michcea.org

'HighEdWeb 2009: Open. Connected.'
4 – 7 October 2009
Milwaukee, WI, United States
http://www.highedweb.org/2009

Building a Donor-Centered Stewardship Effort
5 – 7 October 2009
Austin, Texas, United States
http://www.academicimpressions.com

College Teaching & Learning Conference
5 to 7 October 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
http://www.CluteInstitute.com

Assessing the Needs of Commuter Students
6 October 2009
Online Webcast, United States
http://www.academicimpressions.com/web_
conferences/1009-commuter.php

2009 IACSIT Autumn Conference
9 to 11 October 2009
Singapore, Singapore
http://www.iacsit.org/2009ac/index.htm

2009 International Conference on Distance
Education and Open Learning (DEOL 2009)
9 to 11 October 2009
Singapore, Singapore
http://www.iacsit.org/deol/index.htm

Conferencia IADIS Ibero-Americana
WWW/Internet 2009
21 to 23 October 2009
Madrid, Spain
http://www.ciawi-conf.org/

Pedagogical Education: Contemporary
Problems, Modern Concepts, Theories and Practices
22 to 23 October 2009
Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
http://www.iporao.ru/conference2009_eng

ACE 2009 – The Asian Conference on
Education 2009 – International Conference
24 to 25 October 2009
Osaka, Japan
http://ace.iafor.org

Indo-american Education Summit
8 to 15 November 2009
NEW DELHI, India
http://www.indus.org

European Conference for Academic Disciplines
9 to 13 November 2009
Gottenheim near Freiburg, Germany
http://www.internationaljournal.org/germany.html

Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Teaching
and Learning: Getting under the Skin
of Teaching and Learning
4 to 5 December 2009
Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/education/
cisdp/conferences/psychoanalytic/
Conference%20details.aspx

Nominations for Government Policy/Initiative of the Year

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

With Internet and e-commerce becoming buzzwords in the modern world, interest in ICT use by the Government had revived in the late 1990's in India and other parts of the developing world. Governments of various countries have sought to implement policies and programmes that would assist in the application of ICTs for development. Most developing countries are using ICTs to modernise and increase internal efficiency as well as to improve service delivery.

As a part of tracking various Government initiatives of different countries in ICT, digital Learning Magazine presents to you the nominations for the Best Government Policy/Initiative of the Year award.

PROJECT: Implementation of shared computing technology benefiting 1.8 million students in 5,000 government schools in Andhra Pradesh in 4 months
www.ncomputing.com

The Andhra Pradesh Government had envisaged an ambitious plan to bring computer access into 5000 government schools to benefit more than 1.8 million underprivileged children. The purpose of the project was to enable under privileged school children with computer skills in order to bridge the digital divide. To equip each of these schools with a computer lab of 10 seats, the Government of Andhra Pradesh, after serious evaluation chose to implement the NComputing solution to utilize the PC capacity by sharing the resources/PC power of 2 complete PC's with 8 additional computing stations, without compromising on the their performance.
The uniqueness in the project has been its very fast implementation in a record time of 4 months. Government of Andhra Pradesh was receptive to the idea of shared computing technology after they conducted extensive evaluation and testing experiments. The decision to implement the NComputing solution resulted in not only a quick and problem free deployment but also saving a great deal of money.

To equip each of these schools with a computer lab of 10 seats, the Government of Andhra Pradesh, after serious evaluation chose to implement the NComputing solution to utilise the PC capacity by sharing the resources/PC power of 2 complete PC's with 8 additional computing stations, without compromising on the their performance.

HIGHLIGHTS

5000 Government schools in Andhra Pradesh today are equipped with an up-to-date computer lab with the latest computer hardware, Microsoft and e-learning softwares, trained instructors, and reliable electricity support.

The overall cost of the project was over 300 crores plus for 5 years; with about 20% savings due to installation and deployment of the NComputing solution, allowing more schools to be equipped with PCs in the initial phase of the project.

Over 1.8 million students now have access to computer labs and regular computer classes.

The computing labs are being used to teach computer skills, office productivity (such as spreadsheets and word processing), as well as subjects like reading and math.

PROJECT: SIET, Kerala
www.sietkerala.nic.in

The State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET) was constituted by the Government of India in all the States with an intention to promote the level of learning and also to disseminate knowledge to the students through the use of Radio and Television. SIET, Kerala is the latest in the array of 7 SIETs in the country. SIET, Kerala was constituted under the Travancore Literary Scientific and Charitable Societies Act 1951 in 1999 as an autonomous society. The Institute has adopted itself to play a catalytic role in fostering as well as supporting and supplementing the educational movement in the state particularly in the arena of secondary education.

Some of the successful initiatives under the programme have included: 1) Setting up of the CD Library project in 1000 Higher Secondary schools containing 150 CDs; 2500 High Schools containing 120 CDs; 3200 primary schools containing 50 CDs in the State of Kerala. This is the first time in the history of India a SIET implemented this type of a project for the promotion of E-Learning. 2) Implementation of a full fledged e-learning project in 29 Legislative constituencies in (6800 schools) in the state of Kerala.

In 2006 the M.M. Panth Commission constituted by the MHRD, Government. of India, after evaluating the performance of all the SIETs in India selected Kerala SIET as an excellent model and directed all the SIETs in India to follow the “Kerala Model” in the field of E-Learning system.

Some of the successful initiatives under the SIET programme have included: Setting up of the CD Library project in 1000 Higher Secondary schools and Implementation of a full fledged e-learning project in 29 Legislative constituencies in (6800 schools) in the state of Kerala.

HIGHLIGHTS

In 2006 the M.M. Panth Commission constituted by the MHRD, Government. of India, after evaluating the performance of all the SIETs in India selected Kerala SIET as an excellent model and directed all the SIETs in India to follow the “Kerala Model” in the field of E-Learning system.

PROJECT: Programme for distribution of valuable bon certificates

Interviews

By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

Smt. D. Purandeswari
Minister of State, Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

Smt. D Purandeswari, Minister of State, Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, believes that reforms in the education sector, being an ongoing process, should respond to the needs and requirements of any country. She shares with digitalLEARNING her experience of serving a second term in the Department of Higher Education, her mission, and policy objectives.

The major challenge that we have is the low Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education. As compared to the developed countries, our GER restricted to only 11% to12%.Whereas in the developed countries it is 16%, with International average standard of 23%. Even if we plan to increase our GER to 20%, we know we can not achieve it overnight. Therefore, we have set a target goal of 15% GER, which we plan to achieve by the end of the XIth Five Year Plan in 2012.

Please share with our readers your immediate reaction of coming to the same Department in a repeat term?

It is definitely a wonderful feeling to come back to the same Department again. I have been with this Department for the last two and half years. I am well versed with the issues and challenges of the education sector and the continuity would only enhance my domain knowledge of the same. After I was inducted, I met Shrimati Sonia Gandhi and she opined that I should retain the education portfolio because of my long standing association and engagement with issues relating to education. This is one ministry where the reforms/ programmes that are implemented require continuity and stability.

Is there any mission unaccomplished from your earlier tenure or do you have a fresh agenda to start with?

Reforms in the education sector is an ongoing process. We come up with answers, as the challenges and issues arise. We want to bring reforms in our education system in such a way that it responds to the needs and requirements of our nation.

Public Private Partnerships (PPP) should not encourage ‘profiteering’; rather it should promote accessible and quality education for all.

What are the major challenges of Higher education system in our country?

Our education system must be responsive to the needs of our nation. The major challenge that we have is the low Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education. As compared to the developed countries, our GER restricted to only 11% to12%.Whereas in the developed countries it is 16%, with International average standard of 23%. Even if we plan to increase our GER to 20%, we know we can not achieve it overnight. Therefore, we have set a target goal of 15% GER, which we plan to achieve by the end of the XIth Five Year Plan in 2012.

Our strategy is to address the following questions: a) How do we intergrate the productive utilisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education; b) How do we move forward with adult education; c) How do we improve the literacy rate of women; d) How do we bring more girls into our education system; e) How do we address the issues of SC, STs, minorities and tribals? Our department has been seriously mulling over the strategies to work on these crucial issues.

What according to you is the role of ICTs in enhancing and scaling up the education system? What are the e-education strategies that your ministry proposes?

ICT is one of the major components to improve the GER and reduce marginalisation of education and students. We are looking at connecting 20,000 institutions through ICTs. We are also looking at inter-connectivity between 10,000 departments. Edusat has already been working in this field and the current need is to strengthen Edusat.

What are the possible reasons for having a Higher Education Council in place?

There is an urgent need to have a Higher Education Council where all the regulatory bodies can be brought under one umbrella. The AICTE was constituted with this intention. However the overlapping responsibilities of AICTE with other regulatory bodies like Medical Council of India (MCI) and UGC had resulted in duplication and unnecessary hurdles. To usher in synergies between different regulatory bodies and rope in more coordination, we felt the need to have the Higher Education Council. As we progress today, and Shri Kapil Sibal (Minister, HRD) also feels that, we need a Higher Education Council where all of the regulatory bodies could be brought under one umbrella.

What are the plans of your Ministry for bridging the gender disparity and encouraging women as far as Higher Education is concerned?

There are many programmes and schemes proposed by the Government to address this specific sphere of concern. There are various facilitating programmes introduced and initiated by UGC and AICTE to support women’s education. For a single girl child, there is a fee waiver at higher education. There are special scholarships for girl children. AICTE has relaxed the norms for establishing engineering colleges for women. In order to set up an engineering college, one requires five acres of land, but for a girls engineering institution, the norm is only 2.5 acres of land. At the same time, UGC is providing for exclusive Girls hostel to encourage girls from rural areas to pursue higher studies. Thanks to this, the literacy rate of women, which was meager earlier, is now 54%.

How do you see the engagement of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the education sector?

We all know very well and acknowledge that Private sectors have supplemented the efforts of the government in education; otherwise there would not have been such a proliferation of the technical education institutions. We appeal to them that ‘Profiteering’ can not be the motive of PPP. The motive is to give quality education and making education accessible to all. The National Policy on Education and the all the Supreme Court judgments have clearly stated that education is not for profiteering and one cannot come with business motive.

Universalising Education Through ICT: Plan, Practices and Policy : Subhash C Khuntia, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

Interviews

By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 1, 2009

Subhash C Khuntia
Joint Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

Shri Subhash C Khuntia, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, shares with digital Learning, in an exclusive interview, his vision on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) practices in school education, the role of innovation in schools and his department`s commitment to present a policy framework on ICT in school education.

The Eleventh Five Year Plan has raised allocation to the education sector in a very big way. This sector now constitutes almost one fifth of the Plan size with an allocation of Rs 6000 crore for the use of ICT in schools.

This year, in 2009, it would be 25 years post initiation of computers in Indian schools. This is an occasion that we should celebrate. How do you assess CLASS – as a success or a failure! Is it contributing to the present day demands in terms of new ICT initiatives, vision, etc?

CLASS was one of the earliest attempts in the country to use ICT for education and was limited in its scope and scale. Every new attempt takes time to sink into the collective psyche and prepares the population for bigger things. Considering these aspects, I would not call it either a failure or a grand success. It was project that has ushered in the concept that ICT can be used to improve the quality of education.

How do you support the adoption of the principles like enhanced learning, engaging all stakeholders, making effective use of resources through policies? Do you see a continued emphasis on school planning in lines of the above issues?

The Internet and the availability of massive amount of information on various topics has resulted in participative learning, collaborative development of learning resources and anytime-anywhere learning. Thus there is a paradigm change occurring in the concept of teaching and learning. From deliverers of education, teachers are transforming to facilitators in learning by students. Use of ICT will further focus on concepts like enhanced and continuous learning through optimal use of resources. Future schools need to be planned to take advantage of this through adoption of appropriate and sound policies.

What has been the trend of investment in school education? What are the special efforts made in judicious utilisation of the budget in different ICT programmes and initiatives?

The public investment in education in India has been of the order of 3.5 to 4.0 per cent of GDP in the last several years. This is not considered adequate, and our aim is to raise it to 6.0 per cent in the next few years. The school education will then absorb 4.5 to 5.0 per cent of GDP, which would enable giving a boost to the aspects of expansion, excellence and inclusion. The Eleventh Five Year Plan has raised allocation to the education sector in a very big way. This sector now constitutes almost one fifth of the Plan size, whereas the proportion was less than one tenth in the Tenth Plan. This is timely as the world over, there is an acute need for skilled manpower, and the demographic advantage that our country enjoys can be harnessed if human capital is developed through education. During the Eleventh Plan, there is an allocation of Rs 6000 crore for use of ICT in schools whereas the outlay during the Tenth Plan was only Rs 800 crore. During this plan, the utilisation of budget provision has been almost total and sanctions have so far been given for coverage of more than 50,000 schools. We plan to cover almost all Government and Government aided secondary and higher secondary schools in the country during the Eleventh Plan. The twin objectives are computer education and computer-aided education, i.e., to provide computer education to all high school students and to make all high school teachers to teach their respective subjects using ICT.

A policy on ICT in school education is long overdue. With the new government speeding up the reform process, and also under your able leadership (that has helped initiating the policy dialogue in the recent past) are we expecting to see the policy framework/document in place?

The new Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Kapil Sibal has already announced preparation of a draft National Policy of ICT in School Education as one of the action points for the first 100 days of Government. The draft has already been prepared through a collaborative process and is already available on the Ministry`s website. The draft will be further improved through consultation with various stakeholders and thereafter finalised.

Do you have any advice for the states that would want to blueprint new architecture of school education with innovation?

The States need to transform the architecture of school education to make use of the tremendous power of ICT in improving the standard of education and in enhancing access and equity. The States also need to be flexible in their approach in the face of rapid technological change that is taking place. Therefore, innovation has to be the buzz word in educational reform.

The new Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Kapil Sibal has already announced preparation of a draft National Policy of ICT in School Education as one of the action points for the first 100 days of Government.

What do you hope to accomplish in your current role in the Ministry for school education?

The overriding concern is not only to universalise elementary education, but to push the vision further to be in a position to universalise education up to secondary level (class 10, age 16) by 2017, i.e. end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan. This would involve not only access, but quality with equity. Improvement of quality is quite important as that will reduce drop out rate and prepare many more for higher education or for work place where skill is essential. Only then can we build a more just and equitable society, where the citizens can take advantage of their knowledge and skill so that the country can reduce poverty, improve the standard of living and take its rightful place in the comity of nations.

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