DIGITALLY YOURS: P. Jayaram Bhat, General Manager, Karnataka Bank Ltd., delivering the inaugural address at the opening of a national conference in Mangalore on Thursday.

MANGALORE: Speakers at the inaugural function of a three-day national conference on "information and communication technology (ICT) for quality enhancement in higher education," which got underway here at St. Agnes College on Thursday, stressed the need to use ICT as an effective learning tool.

P. Jayaram Bhat, General Manager (Information Technology, Planning and Development), Karnataka Bank Ltd., who inaugurated the conference, said ICT is emerging as the basic building blocks of modern society. Acquiring skills in ICT is fast becoming part of the core education system, he added

Noting that ICT offers great potential for knowledge dissemination, Mr. Bhat said it is emerging as a natural tool in education. It aids the search for new knowledge that lies outside the purview of textbooks.

Many advantages

The advantages of ICT are manifold as it enables students and teachers to expand their knowledge by using advances in information technology. Giving examples of some advances in ICT, Mr. Bhat said the Internet, multimedia, video-conferencing, computer-aided design, animation and graphic-user interface are all tools which enhance learning.

Noting that ICT is bound to add value to learning, Mr. Bhat said its use among students should be popularised.

Delivering the keynote address, the Vice-Chancellor of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, H.S. Ballal, said that according to a study carried out by World Bank, there is need for better infrastructure, research activities, well-equipped laboratories and qualified faculty if India has to improve its standards of education.

Admitting that the Government alone is not in a position to provide resources to create infrastructure, he said the onus is also on non-governmental organisations and private players. Stressing the need to relax regulations in this regard, Dr. Ballal said ICT is an ideal solution to address core issues concerning education in India.

Noting that ICT has undergone tremendous improvements over the past 15 years, he, however, pointed out that its application in higher learning in India is far from satisfactory. Only six to seven per cent of India's population has access to ICT, he said and added that there is a need to increase its reach, especially in rural areas.

Dr. Ballal said the use of ICT will also help bring about greater standardisation of education. Subject experts can prepare electronic-modules, which can be disseminated to end users through very small aperture terminals. This can also help planners to tide over the dearth of qualified manpower needed to run educational institutions.

Prem D'Souza, convener of the conference, welcomed the gathering. Matilda Pinto, Head of the Department of English, proposed a vote of thanks. The conference is being sponsored by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, New Delhi.

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