I am writing this to share with you a dream that I saw. A dream to that would create a revolution in our country and around the world. A dream that could put a smile on millions of faces. A dream that could enable millions more to dream.
Read further if you are interested.
Not long ago a survey by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OEPD) was published. The survey was on the state of jobs in BRIC countries. The survey finds that 11 million jobs were created in India per year during the period from 2000- 2005. This no., according to the survey, was significantly higher than the no. of jobs created in developed countries and more developed developing countries. Of this figure, the survey says, 85+ percent of the jobs were in paltry waged informal and unorganized enterprises. Probing for reasons the survey finds out startling facts of state of education in India.
It finds, In India for every 21 year old who has cleared secondary education, there are four who haven't. For every single person who has a completed some higher education, there are 12 who haven't. We are not even talking about the standard of education that produced those 8 percent who have completed something after secondary school. Isn't this startling? Unfortunately government hasn't been able to or been concerned to do anything to change this situation. These meager percentages represent people who are less than 21 years old. Don't even dare to look at numbers considering the full population. Given the incapable government, the onus rests on us, the socially conscious ones blessed with education and technology, to solve the problem.
What if we share our education using technology? In a few years from now Internet is going to reach India's villages. Our telecommunications companies and MNCs will find ingenuous ways to monetize a huge untapped market. Of course there wont be internet connection for all homes. May be there won't even be a computer or even telephone or still even electricity for all. We are assuming none of it. All we are assuming is that the companies will put Internet in places reachable by the poor millions, like corporation schools, panchayat kiosks and so on.
Our idea is to create a portal. Something like a free online university. A university that will not involve itself with providing degrees. But it would offer free education to anyone who seeks it. It will utilize all forms of media (text, Audio, Video, Flash,etc) to teach lessons that are taught in the best of schools, to all. The content in the portal will be at least as high in quality as what the best of school offers. All this and more without charging.
We feel such a portal will help everyone. The students in cities will use it to overcome their inability to study in the best school of town. The students and teachers in smaller towns will be abreast with the most modern concepts and ways of expressing them. The teachers of village and corporation schools will have a place to look for when they are unsure of what and how to teach. And so on. This portal will make it possible for anyone to have access to the best education, wherever he is, whenever he wants it.
Using this technology, over a period of time, more people will be employable and the country can get out of the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer syndrome.
Evolving this idea and contemplating its practicalities are part of my first feeble steps towards the realization of my dream. Please let us know what you thing of it, so that our next steps could be surer.
Yours,
A fellow citizen.
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