Government first grade colleges in the State have become the first in the country to have ‘virtual’ and ‘smart’ classes. While all 411 colleges will be covered, 100 colleges will get more tech-savvy in the first phase.
The scheme was inaugurated at the Government Science College here on Friday by K. Kasturirangan, Chairman, Karnataka Knowledge Commission and Chancellor of JNU, New Delhi, Higher Education Minister R.V. Deshpande and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, an alumnus of the college.
Through the virtual classes, students will be able to access video lectures through their smart phones, tablets and laptops. As the classes are downloadable, Internet access is not required. The government plans to create Wi-Fi zones in the colleges.
During the programme, Prof. Kasturirangan also announced that the creation of a Karnataka Education and Knowledge Network was in the pipeline. He also said that with the inauguration of he initiative, the rural-urban gap will be lessened.
Mr. Deshpande said with nearly 15 lakh people working in the IT industry today, with a business of over Rs. two lakh crore, it had become imperative to implement technology in education.
