While wondering the scope of education and capacity building in India, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai said, “With the remarkable achievements of Gyan Vani, Gyan Darshan and other internet connectivity sources of the university, it is considered to be the technological university in the country connecting millions of people. With thousands of telecasters soon coming up, it is going to be the national e-governance provider.”
The isolated access service will allow users both of on-campus and off-campus to get access to e-resources, e-journals and e-books from anywhere outside the campus, 24x7. RATE has been made open to academics, faculty, regional centers, research and teaching assistants (RTAs), researchers and to on-campus students at the initial level. “This system will help the distant learners to access the books and journals for their references. IGNOU is the first one to come out with such a system. This university has taken up responsibility in all earnestness to cover the unreached by democratising education in India”, as Pillai puts it.
The minister shared his knowledge on the importance of participatory democracy, as Joshi said, “Participatory democracy is needed today to solve their problems to bring forth all the issues and address them. Skilled manpower is needed by 2020. When we project this, don’t we think that those in the rural areas are from vulnerable section? If we don’t enhance their skills how are we then going to fit in our vision?”
The minister also pointed out that the full potential of the 73rd Amendment is yet to be harnessed. Except few states, the panchayati raj systems are not adequately and actively involved in development activities. He further added that it will be realised only when the functions and funds with full freedom would be transferred to the PRIs and “IGNOU has taken up this responsibility in all earnestness to cover the undetached by democratising education in India”, Joshi beamed.
The minister also discovered a need for sensitising representatives of PRIs for creating a responsive, responsible, representative, transparent, accountable and dynamic local government, so that these representatives as well as the functionaries of LSG should perceive common people as participants in the development process and not as supplicants, beneficiaries or petitioners.
IGNOU has contributed in the areas of rural empowerment. “Under the Schools of agriculture, continuing education, extension and development studies, the chair for sustainable development, a host of programmes have been created for upgrading the knowledge and the skills of people in the rural areas as well as those working in the area of rural development.
Apart from these programmes, many other schools, programmes and projects have directly and indirectly lead to rural empowerment also”, Pillai added.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Megha Mukhopadhyay
Quelle/Source: The Daily Pioneer, 06.07.2011
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