Kerala - Kochi   

Creating a virtual university

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Kochi-based Swadeshi Science Movement, which bagged the national award for outstanding efforts in Science and Technology from the Ministry of Science and Technology recently, is working towards setting up an online university called Nalanda Virtual University.

The prize money of Rs.2 lakh will be utilised to set the ball rolling for the new concept.

A website will be created and a nodal officer will coordinate networking with like-minded organisations and people for content creation.

The spokesperson for Swadeshi Science Movement said that work is already on for preparing a paper for the university's activity.

This will be circulated among top scientists and academicians to get their feedback.

The second phase would involve content development, which will then be prepared into courses offered by the university.

Support for research

It will provide support for research on traditional and modern science, the spokesperson said.

The Swadeshi Science Movement, which was started in 1991 to integrate ancient wisdom with modern scientific advancements, had initiated a number of means to popularise science.

With the youth clamouring for courses that will make them employable even before they are out of college, the pure sciences are left behind for those who do not manage to get admission in the lucrative job-oriented courses.

There are very few students who pursue science subjects for the love of the subject.

Very few among them pursue pure science to a higher level.

It would not give them a sleek job and a bulging purse, perhaps. The race for better life has buried the scientific temperament in children, say the experts.

It was in such a situation that Swadeshi Science Movement started its activities.

The annual Science Congress, Sasthra Prathibha Matsaram, entrepreneurship development programmes in the small industry, animal welfare programme and a women's wing are some of the activities.

Science India, a monthly publication for students, is a popular magazine brought out by the Movement.

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