The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : E-learning website of VTU launched

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Sunday, Jan 09, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

E-learning website of VTU launched

By Our Staff Correspondent

The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, launching the e-learning website of VTU in Mysore on Saturday in the presence of (from right) M.H. Dhananjaya, Director, Technical, JSS Mahavidyapeetha; Balaveera Reddy, Vice-Chancellor of VTU; S. Prabhakaran , EDUSAT Adviser, ISRO; and G.L. Shekar, Special Officer, VTU's e-learning Centre.

MYSORE, JAN. 8. The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, today said that technology holds the key to making quality education accessible to all sections of society, in the absence of which social and economic disparity will continue to exist.

Launching the e-learning website (www:http//elearning.vtu.ac.in) of the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) here on Saturday, Mr. Siddaramaiah expressed optimism that the e-learning tool developed by the VTU, in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation, would go a long way in providing quality technical education in rural areas and help in bridging the gap between rural and urban areas.

The website will enable students to access quality content materials of various subjects, including graphics, video and well-designed notes, free of cost.

Access to technology

Underlining the importance of technology, the Deputy Chief Minister said that if access to technology is restricted to one section of society then it would impede the progress of the nation.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the launch of EDUSAT and e-learning concept would have a bearing on students studying in rural areas. He said the VTU was created in 1998 to facilitate the improvement in the quality of engineering education in the State. "It is a matter of great satisfaction to note that VTU has emerged as one of the best and the leading engineering university in the country today," he said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the Government is committed to be a partner in all progressive projects to be launched by the VTU and similar organisations in providing quality education.

In this context, he recalled the successive Governments' role in promoting engineering colleges in the State as a result of which Karnataka is in the forefront in producing engineers and provide trained manpower for the MNCs and industries which has helped Bangalore to emerge as the Silicon Valley of India.

160 lessons transmitted

S. Prabhakaran, Adviser, EDUSAT, ISRO, said the launch of the e-learning site was a pointer to the collaborative spirit of VTU and ISRO, which was here to stay. The teething problems encountered in the initial stages have been overcome and the VTU has transmitted 160 lessons, which indicate the growing stability of the system.

Mr. Prabhakaran said quality education holds the key for the resurgence of India in the coming decade if it has to play a greater role. The sudden rise in outsourcing trained manpower from India is only an indicator of things to come.

He cited a demographic report conducted by a Boston-based institution to point out that India will have the largest working population group in the world and in contrast the developed world of today will have more number of elderly and senior citizens. Hence outsourcing from India will continue and by 2050 India will be the largest supplier of trained manpower to the world, he added.

K. Balaveera Reddy, Vice-Chancellor of VTU; M.H. Dhananjaya, Director (Technical), JSS Mahavidyapeetha; G.L. Shekar, Special Officer, e-learning Centre VTU; and staff from various engineering colleges were present on the occasion.

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