Distance education will one day become as indispensable as computers, after the initial resistance to such concepts, Kerala University Vice-Chancellor A. Jayakrishnan has said.
Launching the learner support centres (LSC) of the Institute of Distance Education (IDE) at the Senate Chamber here on Tuesday, Mr. Jayakrishnan said the State-wide initiative was being taken up with not just the university’s interests in mind, but that of the society in general.
Significant
In an age when information had to be disseminated at the maximum speed possible and when online courses were rewriting the concept of education, the launch of the learner support centres, 62 of them which would be set up across the State, was of immense significance, he said.
Great response
Recalling the overwhelming global response to a free online course on robotics offered by the Stanford University,
Mr. Jayakrishnan said whatever reluctance that existed over distance education would slowly fade away, as was the initial resistance to the introduction of computers. There was no doubt that the society would progressively grasp the significance of such educational concepts, Mr. Jayakrishnan added.
Launch
Of the 62 learner support centres that were launched on Tuesday, eight are in Thiruvananthapuram, 10 in Kollam, 11 in Alappuzha, four in Kottayam, two each in Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulam, six in Thrissur, three in Palakkad, eight in Malappuram, one in Kozhikode, and five in Kannur.
Pro Vice-chancellor J. Prabhash presided. IDE Director S. Jaseem, LSC special officer P.P. Ajayakumar, and Syndicate members B.S. Jyothikumar and P.S. Sreekala spoke.
