Is Kalam's vision 2020 relevant today?

New Delhi, Dec 24: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the legendary Missile Man, had a vision for India. He strongly advocated two main points: Education and Information Technology. Kalam writes that education is the most important element for growth and prosperity of a nation.

Kalam writes that Education is the most important element for growth and prosperity of a nation. India is in this process of transforming itself into a developed nation by 2020. Yet we have 350 million people who need literacy and many more that have to acquire employable skills to suit the emerging modern India and the globe.

Mission of education

"Education is the most important element for growth and prosperity of a nation. India is in the process of transforming itself into a developed nation by 2020. Yet we have 350 million people who need literacy and many more who have to acquire employable skills to suit the emerging modern India and the globe," writes Kalam.

Inequality of access to educational resources

It is essential that we enlighten and create widespread awareness of education among all sections of society particularly in rural areas and among the urban poor.

We should use technology for this important social purpose. It is possible for NGOs, other social and philanthropic institutions and the media to focus on this area of creating awareness. We should also mobilise necessary resources for providing education to the underprivileged people
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Planning for good education for children in villages

Every school should have basic amenities such as a good building equipped with ventilation and lighting.

The rooms should be airy and have spacious classrooms. The school should also have a library, laboratories including the latest Information Technology tools and infrastructure, safe drinking water, clean toilets and a playground. This is possible by earmarking the additional 2 to 3 per cent of GDP.

Technology Enhanced Education

There is a need for a working digital library system that alone can, in the long run, provide the kind of access required for a Knowledge Society. Technology Enhanced Learning is a solution. It attempts to exploit the rapid developments in Information and Communication Technology.

As the communications bandwidth continues he batted for Technology Enhanced Learning will become an economically viable solution.

Virtual classrooms of the future will have students from many locations taught by a team of geographically distributed instructors through the tele-education delivery system.

Nowadays, education and IT is on the right track. Also, in India today, there are several mobile users and the level of education is also on the rise. Kalam's dream is going to be fulfilled very soon and the youth are playing a vital role in developing India.