'National Mission on Education via ICT meant to benefit the rural children'

New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal has said that the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology is meant to ensure all e-learning applications should be free of cost, so as to make high quality learning material and processes accessible to students in rural and undeveloped areas.

Addressing a meeting, in which a presentation was made to the Consultative Committee of Parliament for the Human Resource Development Ministry, Sibal said that all this effort was for the benefit of the poor and the marginalized living in technologically deficient areas so that they can also compete with the more advantaged.

Sibal also pointed out that this Mission is developing e-content for all Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses including polytechnic courses and is to provide connectivity across the country to all universities (488 approximately), all colleges (22000 approximately).

The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has, under its aegis, created Virtual Labs, Open Source and Access Tools, Virtual Conference Tools, Talk to Teacher programmes, a Non-Invasive Blood Glucometer and also for simulated lab experiments, a Di. Electric frequency shift application development of resonator for low cost oscillators.

It was disclosed during a presentation made to the Consultative Committee of Parliament for the Human Resource Development Ministry in the meeting held here on Wednesday evening.

In the presentation, it was also disclosed that this Mission is encouraging development of low cost access-cum-computing devices to facilitate participation of masses in the e-learning process.

Some members at the meet pointed out that efforts should also be made to ensure that colleges and universities have adequate physical infrastructure in the form of laboratories etc. Many Members were keen that an effective monitoring mechanism and a study of end use beneficiaries be undertaken so that the Mission has the desired impact.

It was also pointed out that adequate publicity be given to the various forms of e-content being developed so that remote colleges and universities are also able to demand these for their students. (ANI)