Digital education is the future, says expert

HYDERABAD: Digital education was the only way for the country to meet its goal of increasing the national gross enrollment ratio in higher education from 27 to 50 per cent by 2035, Jagat Bhushan Nadda, director of the Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC), said on Thursday.  

Nadda, who was in town for the launch of the 24th CEC-University Grants Commission (UGC) Educational Film Festival, told Deccan Chronicle that the way to achieve the aim was to increase the number of universities or colleges offering digital education.

The three-day film festival was organised by CEC New Delhi, in collaboration with Osmania University's Educational & Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC).

“The flexibility that online learning provides is unparalleled. People can choose between two years of on-campus study and one year of online study. It all comes down to making education more accessible, meaningful, and effective," he stated.

Nadda said that convenient learning combined with passion and purpose could propel education to new heights. "Imagine being able to break geographical, political, and financial barriers of aspirants from the remotest corners of the world?  This is the type of education that will inspire the next generation to explore and pursue meaningful goals," he said.

He added that the system had been taking extra care to effectively help differently abled with sign language and other means.
He stated that the visual aspect was paramount to finer learning, when discussing how films and documentaries were changing the way students study their subjects. "Visuals help with conceptual understanding as well as ensure that learning is enjoyable, fruitful, and worthwhile," he said, referring to the digital courses available on the Swyam, MOOCs and NPTEL platforms.

The Tagore Auditorium, where the event is being held, was packed with students. Sekhar Kammula, Tollywood director and OU alumnus, was the chief guest and spoke about the need for films to be made with a lot of love. “If it is for the cause of education, it needs an extra dose of love towards the student community.”

Several films will be screened during the three-day event to educate students, faculty members and stakeholders. Awards were given to films in order to foster, encourage, and recognise technical excellence in educational video production.