A comprehensive massive online education programme is the need of the hour for catering to the higher education needs of the present-day generation across the country. This has become inevitable as India’s gross enrolment ratio (GER) was less as compared to the ratio of the other countries, said M.S. Ananth, former Director, IIT, Madras and Visiting Professor, IIT Bombay.
Delivering ‘Nobel Laureate Bharat Ratna Sir C.V. Raman Memorial Endowment Lecture’ at the National College here on Saturday, Prof. Ananth said the ratio stood at 84 in the U.S., 60 in the U.K., 55 in Japan, and 30 in China. But, India accounted for just 15 in the ratio, he said and added that a large number of students aspired for engineering courses but in vain.
He said that massive online education was the only solution to the problem which would not only cater to the higher education needs of eligible students but also ensured an enhanced quality in higher education.
For India to register growth in global economy, the GER should rise to at least 30 per cent, he said.
In this context, he referred to the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, which offered 400 web courses and 400 video courses.
“The details were available online,” he said appealing to students to go through various courses available in it.
Prof. Ananth emphasised the importance of innovation for registering an overall growth and development in all spheres. University-based research parks would go a long way in achieving the desired goals in this direction.
K. Anbarasu, principal, and K. Raghunathan, secretary of the college, spoke on the importance of the endowment lecture which marked a tribute to the late Sir C. V. Raman.
