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Tech-based learning key to India’s growth: Kalam

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CIOL Bureau
New Update

NEW DELHI: President A P J Abdul Kalam today said that technology-based learning has to become an important curriculum in schools if India has to make efficient utilization the existing knowledge to create comprehensive wealth for the nation. He was speaking at the first computer literacy excellence awards function organized by Ministry of Communication and IT at the Vigyan Bhawan.



"Wealth generation is a very important task of the nation, which has to be woven around the national competencies," he said adding that a planning commission task force has identified information technology, bio-technology, weather forecasting, disaster management, tele-medicine, tele-education and infotainment as the core areas that can spearhead India’s march towards knowledge society.



While highlighting that primary and secondary education–the driving force for the knowledge society–is being affected by the lack of competent teachers, Dr Kalam said that computer literacy can facilitate teaching competency and increase the scope of student audience to every good program. "One solution is to adopt distance education as a means of bringing education to every eligible child, together with innovative schemes and incentives to attract all children to attend school," he said. According to him, one full satellite transponder can give adequate bandwidth to provide a full range of curriculum from pre-nursery till class twelfth.



In his address, Communication and IT minister Pramod Mahajan said that time has come to redifine literacy. "The changing environment of the 21st century demands that we do not restrict the definition of literacy to the ability to just read and write," he said adding that literacy today also means the ability to use computers. While congratulating the award winning schools Mahajan said that it was indeed a very proud moment that his plan of initiating this award has finally come true.



However, he also said that it was unfortunate that only ‘privileged’ schools have been able to participate in this competition. To rectify this, Mahajan announced that from next year a special award would be added in the list for municipal schools.



"I also request the fortunate schools selected for first computer literacy award to adopt atleast one municipal school and provide computer education to its students," the minister said adding that in the next 10 years all schools, nearly 600,000 across the country, must start providing computer education.



As many as 21 schools from 21 states were selected for the award and Kerala's St. Thomas Residential School at Thiruvananthapuram was given the top award for its contribution in computer education.

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