For students of St. Teresa’s College it was a welcome break from the usual Facebook and Twitter routine while browsing the web.
It left them convinced that internet is not just about fun but also a powerful a tool in ensuring effective and better governance. Students surfed through various e-governance- related websites of the State government on the occasion of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Department of Economics. They were guided by a team consisting of Jayasankar, Director of State IT Mission; Jayachandran, principal consultant and head of State e-governance Mission.
Most of the students confessed about their ignorance of how everything that helped to make their everyday life better was just a click away.
Two days’ hands-on experience in accessing various e-governance applications have left the students determined to pass on their newly acquired knowledge to fellow students and others.
“I was thrilled to access my nephew’s birth certificate online and was shocked by a spelling mistake in his name. It was quite a surprise to know how the government has taken an effort to compile even the minute information about every person,” said Fathima Tuba, a student.
Gayathri, her friend, was surprised to know that the services could be accessed through SMS as well.
The trainers were impressed by the response from the students and the quality of questions they encountered while training them. They felt that technically feasible e-governance initiatives often failed to make the desired impact owing lack of public awareness.
College principal Sr. Teresa said the programme was in keeping with the college motto of women empowerment. “It is important that women get groomed technically to live in this e-society,” she said. She was also glad about her students’ willingness to pass on their newly acquired skills to the larger community.
Colleges, schools, resident’s association and women’s groups interested in holding awareness sessions may contact the economics department of the college in the no: 0484-2350519 or by logging on to the website www.teresas.ac.in
