Digital learning should not lead to digital divide: Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that digital learning should not lead to digital divide. He said that it is important to ensure that there is no digital divide.He called for increased access to the internet especially in rural areas and remote places to "keep inclusivity at the heart of the educational experience". "The mantra should be - embrace, engage, enlighten and empower", he said.

He said that school closures affected girls, children from disadvantaged backgrounds, those living in rural areas, children with disabilities and children from ethnic minorities more than their peers.Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Sports Centre at the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR) in Chennai on Monday, Naidu expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic on education.

The Vice President also inaugurated the NITTTR Open Educational Resource (OER). Calling it an important step in improving inclusivity through distance education, he observed that it would help teachers improve their knowledge base and teaching methodology.Calling for corrective action from the governments, Naidu suggested that one of the important measures is to upgrade the skills of teachers in e-learning.

Naidu further stressed the need to create teachers who are "learners and creators of knowledge - teachers who touch lives and seek to uplift the human condition". "We need inspirational, transformational leaders in our classrooms, especially in rural India", he added.

Talking about India's demographic dividend, he said that teachers have greater responsibility in moulding India's huge youth population into responsible citizens. "Education does not mean just degrees," he said and opined that the true purpose of education is enlightenment, empowerment and wisdom.The Vice President lauded the role of teachers as 'Covid warriors' for doing their best to ensure the academic continuity of their students during the pandemic.

Referring to the National Education Policy 2020 as a visionary document, the Vice President said that it seeks to transform the education ecosystem in our country.Emphasizing the need to promote and preserve Indian languages, Naidu appreciated AICTE for starting technical courses in Indian languages.

Calling upon NITTTR to take the lead in producing outstanding teachers through well-structured and scientifically designed training programmes, he appreciated its efforts in training more than 60,000 learners in the past two years.