Among the demands raised by students during Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s visit to the Gangtok college campus on Wednesday, was one seeking internet access for the college. While it is appalling that the college does not already have such a facility, it really should come as no surprise from an institution which has displayed a strong regressive tendency at the management level [what with the uniforms its students have to now wear]. IT tools are no longer luxuries that can be ignored, they have become necessary skills not just for employment but even to remain informed and connected. Even employment in the State Government now requires a basic level of computer proficiency, and this even though e-Governance is still many year away. While the demand [for internet connectivity for the college] has been granted, it is important that clear directions are passed to make it meaningful. It will not set back the state’s budget by too much to wifi the entire campus, not just at Tadong College, but for all the colleges in the State. Since it is obvious that no college here has adequately appointed computer rooms, another scheme that the government could consider is offering substantial subsidies to students wishing to acquire a computer. Computers are now important assets for learning and although computer access in Sikkim is marginally higher than the national average, a few policy tweaks can take it to much higher levels and soon its benefits will become obvious. As per the “Houses, Household Amenities and Assets Figures” released as part of the Census of India 2011 recently, 11.5 per cent of the 1,28,131 households in Sikkim have computers. When it comes to internet connectivity, the number dips substantially. Only 3.3 per cent of the families in Sikkim have computers with internet access, almost the same as the national average of 3.1. Poor internet and telecom services are the obvious reasons why a majority of the households which have invested in computers have not logged into the web yet. The initiative recommended for the colleges could seed wider computer and internet penetration in the State and the results of such an opening up can only be good.
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Friday, March 16, 2012
Editorial:IT for Sikkim
Among the demands raised by students during Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s visit to the Gangtok college campus on Wednesday, was one seeking internet access for the college. While it is appalling that the college does not already have such a facility, it really should come as no surprise from an institution which has displayed a strong regressive tendency at the management level [what with the uniforms its students have to now wear]. IT tools are no longer luxuries that can be ignored, they have become necessary skills not just for employment but even to remain informed and connected. Even employment in the State Government now requires a basic level of computer proficiency, and this even though e-Governance is still many year away. While the demand [for internet connectivity for the college] has been granted, it is important that clear directions are passed to make it meaningful. It will not set back the state’s budget by too much to wifi the entire campus, not just at Tadong College, but for all the colleges in the State. Since it is obvious that no college here has adequately appointed computer rooms, another scheme that the government could consider is offering substantial subsidies to students wishing to acquire a computer. Computers are now important assets for learning and although computer access in Sikkim is marginally higher than the national average, a few policy tweaks can take it to much higher levels and soon its benefits will become obvious. As per the “Houses, Household Amenities and Assets Figures” released as part of the Census of India 2011 recently, 11.5 per cent of the 1,28,131 households in Sikkim have computers. When it comes to internet connectivity, the number dips substantially. Only 3.3 per cent of the families in Sikkim have computers with internet access, almost the same as the national average of 3.1. Poor internet and telecom services are the obvious reasons why a majority of the households which have invested in computers have not logged into the web yet. The initiative recommended for the colleges could seed wider computer and internet penetration in the State and the results of such an opening up can only be good.
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