The Hindu : Karnataka News : ‘Offer courses that cater to the present-day job market’

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Sunday, Jun 28, 2009
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Karnataka

‘Offer courses that cater to the present-day job market’

Staff Correspondent

Call to utilise latest technology to enable easy learning

Bridging the gap: Manjulika Srivastav, Director of Distance Education Council, New Delhi, speaking at a workshop in Hampi on Saturday.

HAMPI: Manjulika Srivastav, Director of Distance Education Council, New Delhi, underlined the need for the open and distance learning institutions to offer courses that catered to the present-day job market.

Speaking after inaugurating the two-day workshop on “Preparation and transformation of print materials into self-learning materials’ organised by the Distance Education Centre of Kannada University in Hampi on Saturday, Ms. Srivastav described distance education as an innovative concept. She said that the courses offered by the centre should have more practical application and should benefit the graduates in finding employment.

Lauded

Commending the Kannada University’s distance education centre for organising the workshop on self-learning materials, Ms. Srivastav said that the latest advancement in the field of information and technology could be used in providing audio, video, web-based and e-learning modules to help students to learn easily.

“Unless we have quality material we cannot think of imparting quality education. All efforts should be made to produce good quality study material,” she said.

Ms. Srivastav also said that the Kannada University, located in the historic capital of the great Vijayanagar Empire, should propagate its rich culture and tradition, throughout the world, through its distance learning centre.

Potential

Former Director of the distance learning centre Swaraj Basu, who was the chief guest, said that the open and distance education system had the potential to reach a large number of people in the country, who were unable to pursue their higher education.

“Considering the growing population and the existing infrastructure facilities available in the conventional system of education,” he said, “open and distance education will come in handy to ensure that education can be accessed by all.”

Of the 1.11 crore enrolments in higher education in the country, he said, around 25 to 30 per cent were in open and distance education. Efforts were being made to make distance education accessible to more people, he added.

University Vice-Chancellor Murigeppa, member of the University’s Executive Committee B.V.Vasantkumar, Registrar S.S. Pujar and Director of the Distance Education Centre K.M.Maitri were present.

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