Kochi: They may not anything about cyber fluency or the latest software applications. But a group of women, most of them housewives or daily wage earners, is now aware about the advantages of being computer literate.
Nearly 25 women, between the age group of 20 to 58, who enrolled for a unique mass DTP course at Edathala Al Ameen College, proved that age or lack of educational qualification cannot hamper learning skills.
The free Malayalam DTP course, conducted as part of the community extension programme of the Malayalam department of the college, has attracted several women. Womenfrom Edathala panchayat, many of them in their 50s, enrolled for the one-month course and enthusiastically picked up IT lessons.
The women enrolled for the course as they realized that computer and internet would offer them a cheaper, more accessible means of communicating with their relatives abroad. The first batch successfully completed the course recently.
“Most of the students were totally new to computer. But, with keen interest, they easily picked up the basic lessons. The learners were also given Malayalam computing lessons to familiarise them in using tools such as the mouse and keyboard,” said Prof. Abdul Salam of Malayalam department.
College principal Prof. M.K. Abdul Kareem took on the initiative to introduce the course and provide facilities for the students. The course was launched using the facilities at the language lab and the time schedule was fixed according to the convenience of students. The next batch will begin in January after the Xmas and New Year holidays.
“The classes were very useful and I could pick up lessons easily. After successfully completing the course, now I feel confident to use computer. Initially, I was even nervous to touch the mouse or type using keyboard,” said Sindhu Gopinath, a housewife.
