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Computer Literacy High On Cards

Times of India >> Dombivli-Kalyan Plus >> Digital Divide
The digital divide has become the most serious divide in history. It is the need of the time that the effort to bridge this divide be taken up as a challenge by the government, NGOs and industry organisations.
Experts suggest that computer training should be made mandatory and included in the right to education from the high school level. In today’s age of information technology, the scope of the word ‘literate’ should be expanded to computer literate than limiting it to ‘capable of reading and writing one language.’
Anagha, a computer assistant in BH Madhavi English school informs, “The students are introduced to computer education from a tender age of eight. They are taught Logo to build their logical abilities. From class 5-10 they are taught Windows 95 and basic internet usage such as surfing the net and sending e-mails. Senior students of class 11 and 12 are given education or making power-point presentations and basic scripting of HTML, which helps them decide if they are interested in making a career in computer scripting, which has become very popular among students.
Gurunath Patil, superintendent, Pragati College says, “Basic computer education has been made compulsory in both junior and senior college. However, advanced courses of specialised certificate courses are optionally available on the campus.” When asked how the college has managed to provide such updated courses, he discloses, “Due to lack of qualified faculty, the college has tied up with Datapro, which provides faculties to the college. Computer labs have been an initiative of the government and therefore students can avail the facilities at a discounted rate.” Most of the courses range between Rs 500-1,000. moreover even people who are not students of the college are permitted to use the knowledge of these professional faculty members.
On the other hand, an official from K V Pendharkar College stated that they had kept computer as an optional subject at degree levels for both commerce and science. “But most students asked for computer education. So over the years the college has made computer education compulsory.”
Many companies like Artintel, from Navi Mumbai have not given up hope. They provide the infrastructural assistance to the schools and provide them the computers on rental basis and believe that basic computer knowledge should be made compulsory.
However, a faculty from a popular computer institute in Dombivli east is disillusioned about the fact that most of the college principals from the suburbs are very un-cooperative when approached for conducting awareness campaigns.
“They presume that we are here only to sell the courses to their students, while our intention is merely organising these workshops to educate students about the various career options which computer education can open up for them.”
However, the fact remains that many of the schools and colleges cannot afford to provide computer education facility to students due to lack of funds to develop the required infrastructure. “Setting up a computer laboratory is very expensive. We cannot expect all the students to pay for these courses. Though basic computer knowledge is imparted in all schools and colleges today, it is still an option subject in most educational institutions of the suburbs,” complains a senior educationist from Dombivli.
Over the years, the educational board has realised that computer education is
now an integral part of our country’s social fabric. For this global village to become a reality, the common man needs to be empowered with the strength of computer literacy. How this dream can be realised best need to be seen!