Age no bar for them to be computer savvy

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.