Venkaiah calls for mass movement to promote digital literacy in country

New Delhi, Nov 27 (Agency) Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday praised ‘Digital India’ initiative for preparing the nation for Industrial Revolution 4.0 and empowering the citizens with technological entitlements, saying the main objective was to improve the quality of life in all possible ways. Virtually launching ‘Adi Shankara Digital Academy’ at Kaladi, the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, the Vice- President called for a mass movement to promote digital literacy and urged all technological and educational institutions to play a leading role in that endeavour.

Noting that whoever has quick access to information, which is the main commodity in the present-day knowledge society, has the advantage, he called ‘digitalisation’ as the medium of access to such information. Drawing attention towards the unprecedented disruptions caused by Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Naidu said it has forced millions of students out of classrooms due to closure of schools and the world community is trying to address this challenge by adopting online education.

Enumerating benefits of online education such as access to quality andaffordable education in remote areas and especially by groups such as working professionals and housewives who might not be able to attend regular courses, he opined that online education “is likely to remain a preferred choice in the post-pandemic period as well. There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the education landscape forever,” he added. Observing that even before Covid-19, the adoption of technology in education was gaining momentum, Mr Naidu said global EdTech sector was attracting billions of dollars of investments and offered a huge opportunity to not only learners but to education entrepreneurs as well. He exhorted the youth to come forward and innovate to tap the potential offered by this sector. Talking about the extensive use of digital technology in different sectors ever since the pandemic disrupted the normal routine, the Vice President commended the Indian judiciary for digitally hearing and disposing of cases. Further, e-medicine has found new traction and e-delivery of government services and entitlements in our country was proving to be effective with huge gains. “In essence, this is the era of ‘digital life’. Virtual reality is the new reality,” he added. K Anand, Managing Trustee, Adi Shankara Trust, C R Gowrishankar, CEO and Administrator, Sringeri Mut, Mrs Chitra, Director e-Drona Learning and others were present.