Insight - Divide and Rule

DIVIDE AND RULE, many times we hear about this phrase and often use it also in our day to day life.  Though society and people seem to be the same and just like the one group i.e. humanity but still something enforces us to avoid humanity and give emphasis to the self-made groups.  These groups are certainly made due to the feeling of separatism and egotism.  If we erase these two things then perhaps there will not be more than one group i.e. human race.  But due to our personal benefits and satisfaction of our ego, we made groups based on religion, language, region, culture, and country.  The thing which we need to comprehend is that we all are the different leaves and flowers of the same plant.

We are the different flowers of the same plant

And the very common thing in all of the groups which are being made due to the upper mentioned frictions i.e. an individuality or we can say a mind. Don't we ever try to understand that on somehow our own ego is forcing us to make different groups??

For the exact amplification, I would like to share one of my personal life experience.  As I belong to a Rajput(Agni vansha) family that is why the people of my village are having a great sense of egotism regarding their caste.  They consider themselves as brave and superior.  Recently my nephew is arguing with my sister that the Surya Vanishes(Rajputs) are the greatest and there is no one like them.  She told me regarding his opinion.  I just laugh because I was thinking about who give us a title that we are Rajputs or Brahmin.  It is the diplomatic game of the people of the higher class to acquire the benefits.  First, we are human and our duty to save the rights of human beings. 

Therefore, the first thing first is that we should not be violent or aggressive just because someone has hurt our religion or belief rather be thankful to them for providing us with an opportunity to judge our power of tolerance, and if somehow we fail to tolerate then try not to harm anyone because God lives in his body also. And moreover, bravery is not the inheritance or copyright of a certain race or a group. Rather any person who has guts and also having a feeling of diligence, industriousness, and honesty toward his or her task or deeds can acquire it.  

Because honesty and bravery both of the terms are synonyms. Only a brave can be honest and only an honest person can be brave.  

Now, where is caste, religion and race? 

So I just want to conclude my perspective in a few of the lines that these things are made only to divide us so that we can become slaves and ruled by the ruler and mind you every time we are being ruled only in this manner.  So let's join hands together and take a pledge that we are humans and Son of God. 

That's why we are intelligent and brave and no one can divide us on the above basis.

Small things but effective

Our country comes under the list of one of the biggest country in the world and we are also dreaming that one day we will be the superpower.  But let's see if we are exactly able to become the superpower in future.  I don't think so. 

• How can we be a superpower if we are not able to sort out our own domestic problems?  

• How can we be on the list of one of the best country in the world if our people are still fighting for small things?

• How can we be a nation of universal tolerance if our own people are very intolerant toward small things?

• How can we manage to be the superpower if we don't have a sense of driving on the road?

These are some questions which rise in front of us as it depicts that we are still not being able to be on the list of the best nation because we desperately like to be aware of our rights only, not our duty. Let's analyse and synthesis how can we judge a person as if he or she is aware of his or her duties.

 I have a very small but the most effective parameter for testing if we are a responsible citizen or not.  Have you ever seen how people walking on the road?  Only through observing it we can identify them as if they are a responsible citizen or not!  If someone is driving very recklessly then it means he or she don't have any concern with the nation and society rather he is living in his own world of imagination in which he or she is the king.

 If someone is driving very slowly then it means he or she is very submissive and don't have the courage to raise the voice for the wrongdoing as sometimes if anyone overtakes them they just watch as if they haven't seen anything.  It reflects that this kind of people comes under the list of victims whereas the first one comes under the list of culprits.  Now the big question is: Who will do a research on it that in our country the ratio of the people of the first category is more or the people of a second? 

 Who will do?  

I think we need not do it as the people of the first category is more in comparison to the second one.  

That's why there is a lot of accidents in our country. Do we still think that we can be a superpower?  I think first we need to be responsible for our behaviour only then we can be able to be a superpower.  Because only those people can be supreme who have the courage to be responsible for their deeds and only if the citizen is responsible then our country can be on the list of the best nation.

इंटरनेट एक अभिशाप एक नशा

भारतीय युवा आज स्वयं को किसी फ़िल्म स्टार से काम नहीं समझता और जीवन पर्यन्त खुशामती  ही पसंद करता है क्युकि उसे बचपन से ही ये सिखाया गया है, तुम ही श्रेष्ट हो और ऊपर से ये नेट।   अंग्रेजी की एक पत्रिका के मुताबिक आज का युवा वर्ग अपना अधिकतर समय इंटरनेट की सोशल नेटवर्किग साइट्स में गुजरता है।   पत्रिका में ये बात भी सामने आई की जो लोग अपना समय अधिकतर इन साइट्स में गुजरते है  वह धीरे २ वास्तिविकता से कट जाते है। और फिर अपना समय इन साइट्स में लगाना शुरू कर देते है।  अब उनकी वास्तविक पहचान मात्र इंटरनेट ही रह जाती है।   धीरे २ ये उन की एकाग्रता भंग करने लग जाती है।   उनका आधा धयान हमेशा फेसबुक और ट्विटर में ही लगा रहता है।   

      पत्रिका ने ये भी बताया की जो लोग ज्यादा दुखी और उदास होते है वही इन का अधिक प्रयोग करते है।   कई बार तो ये इन साइट्स के माध्यम से खुद को खुश दिखाते है।  जो बहुत अधिक इन का शिकार हो जाते है वो तो स्वयं को किसी ऐतिहासिक फ़िल्म के महानायक की तरा दिखाने से भी नहीं हिचकिचादे। 

    वर्त्तमान समय में हमें इस समस्या पर गोर देने की आवश्यक है।   क्या आप भी कही इसका शिकार.......................................! 

Lost........Self

किसने पाया किसने गवाया,

दुनिया तो है बस एक माया। 

न कुछ पाया,

न कुछ लाया,

फिर भी अहम क्यों कमाया,

इस संसार में क्यों तू आया। 

खूब खाया,

खूब कमाया,

खूब रुलाया,

खूब सुलाया,

माया ने क्या खेल रचाया। 

न अत्ति छाया,

न अत्ति माया,

न अत्ति अहम,

न अत्ति वहम,

करो कुछ खुद पर रहम।

Thinking of a common man based on wrong perception.

समय के साथ साथ व्यक्ति बदलता है पर वास्तविकता वही रहती है।   क्या अपने कभी सोचा हे की व्यक्ति को क्या सबसे अधिक प्रभवित करता है ? उसकी सोच पर वह तो उसने बेच दी!!

Nature and its colors

Role of ICT in Higher Education.

Navdeep Kaur, Roll No- 333;Sudhir, Roll No- 301

 Higher education systems have grown exponentially in the last five decades to meet the demands of quality education for all. This aspect has further gained momentum due to swift advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Demand for skilled and competent labour is ever increasing in the contemporary globalised society. Competition in every sector ranging from access to quality in higher education has emerged as determining factor of economic growth and development. In order to increase the access to higher education and improving its reach to the remotest parts of the country contribution of open and distance learning facilities is on increase. In addition, it is catering to life long learning aspirations and that too at affordable cost. The last two decades have witnessed the inclusion of developments in ICTs in higher education systems around the world. Even then the challenge to develop a higher education system that is flexible and dynamic so as to holistically integrate the technology in the management and delivery of learning programmes is daunting. Though in Indian scenario higher education is very old, modern higher education in India began with the establishment of Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817. By 1855, there were 281 High Schools and 28 Colleges. To regulate them, three universities; Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were established in 1857 by then British Indian Government. The growth continued un-impeded and by 1947, there were 19 universities, 496 colleges with 2,40,000 students. University Education Commission, 1948-49 (popularly known as Radhakrishnan Commission) emphasized the need for setting up an apex body to coordinate the growth and development of education at the tertiary level and maintenance of standards in education. Thus, the University Grants Commission (UGC) came into existence by an Act of Parliament in 1956. In the last five half decades, the growth of higher education presents a very impressive picture. There has been commendable quantitative expansion in terms of students’ enrolment, number of teachers, colleges, universities and research degrees.  India is developing as a knowledge economy and it cannot function without the support of ICT.  The government is spending a lot of money on ICT. In the higher education sector, the National Mission on Education is emphasizing on the role of ICT in increasing the enrolment ratio in higher education. School education in India has a problem of high dropout rate and we need to work on how to decrease this rate. Similarly, in the field of higher education, we need to increase the number of students. Therefore, if we make our learning more engaging with the use of ICT, it can completely change how our education system works. Also, we should examine the challenges of cost-factor and availability of trained teachers in the process of dissemination of education with the help of ICT. The gap between demand and supply of higher education has necessitated the governments and institutions to formulate the policies for the better use of ICT. And, in order to bridge the gap, it is necessary to evolve the cooperation between the public and private sectors. The education ICT policy should identify specific ways in which the application of ICT will enhance the educational capacity and the capability of higher education institutions. According to a recent study, innovations such as using Twitter to send messages are really helpful in disseminating education. In a similar fashion, the use of YouTube in sharing video information will go a long way in disseminating education. During the last decade, higher education has gained importance in India’s changing policy landscape as the government realizes that India’s strength lies in education.  Through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) India can expand its Educational policies all over the country. Education can become easily accessible and reachable to all. It will be helpful for our country to attain its past glory. 

·         Helpful for Distance learning for higher Education: ICT can be helpful for providing Distance learning.  It can be further helpful for improving learning experiences. With the help of ICT learning can become interesting and accessible. Though in the case of Open and Distance Learning Institutions, technological development is crucial to ensure sustainability, oppose competition and manage threats. However, in the developing world, the financial implications of technological development become a serious challenge in endeavors to keep abreast of latest technology, but more so to innovate and lead technological development. Although it can be cost-saving when applied correctly, these technologies are very costly to acquire. Good collaboration among ODL institutions and the sharing of resources might be a viable option to address some of these financial challenges. But in spite of having so many challenges the importance of ICT is that it will be helpful to provide Education to all.  It overcomes the geographical barriers and opens the window of Education for all those people who want to continue their learning. 

·         Impact on Students’ performance:  Because of the use of ICT in Education students are now taking interest in their studies.  The use of Youtube, Social Networking sites and Blogs are very helpful for developing the interest of the learners in their studies.  It also provides a platform to the learner where they can express their own point of view and discuss different topics through forming different groups in social networking sites.  It is further helpful for learners to identify their weak area of learning.  It enables the students for self improvement.  They can easily access to the relevant source of information. With the help of e- learning and Virtual classes students can be able to contact with the eminent resource persons in the field of Education.  They can easily ask their queries to them and get a relevant solution.

·         Changing Scenario: There is a worldwide need felt for integrating ICT into education in order to improve the pedagogy to reflect the societal change (Plomp et al, 2007). The main goals of ICT adoption in the education field are reducing costs per student, making education more affordable and accessible, increasing enrollments, improving course quality, and meeting the needs of local employers (Ozdemir and Abrevaya, 2007). Low overheads and cost efficiency are attracting many private players in the field of Internet enabled education. This is also being driven by technological advances, competitive pressures and the positive experiences of many early adopters (McGorry, 2002). The main factors that affect the adoption of ICT in education are the mission or goal of a particular system, programs and curricula, teaching/learning strategies and techniques, learning material and resources, communication and interaction, support and delivery systems, students, tutors, staff and other experts, management, housing and equipment, and evaluation (UNESCO, 2002). National vision, supported by coherent strategies and actions is the most important factor in integrating ICT in education. Successful implementation of ICT requires strong national support from government and local support from relevant institutions and education authorities (Cross and Adam, 2007). Sharma (2003) explains that the political powers of any nations affect the introduction of any new technology. Sharma (2003) and Amutabi and Oketch (2003) explain that cost is an important issue that decides and guides the adoption and growth of Information and Communication Technology especially in developing 10 countries. Ozdemir and Abrevaya (2007) mention that the institutions, which are granted public status and are supported by government funds, as well as those, that are larger in size, are the ones to adopt the new technologies to support education. However, it is also observed that since technology adoption involves high fixed costs, institutes, which implemented such technology, did not upgrade it as time progressed. The presence of an ICT champion is necessary at all levels of the system. The strong presence of such leadership is evident wherever ICT integration has been initiated successfully (Mason, 2000). Along with ICT training, one needs an ICT related support mechanism to gradually induce the integration (Lai & Pratt, 2004). This is needed as many teachers in face of technical difficulties may tend to revert to the older teaching (non-ICT based) methods. Teachers need support in using and integrating ICT into the curriculum and teaching methods (Lai & Pratt, 2004; Amutabi and Oketch, 2003; McGorry, 2002). Teachers, who perceive greater ICT-related support being available to them, use technologies in their teaching much better (Tondeur et al, 2007).

     Thus ICT has completely changed the present educational scenario and provide education accessible to all.  It has removed the geographical barriers and opens the window of learning to all. Anyone can learn through the mode online and distance learning.  ICT has shown a new way which makes it possible that now learning can be anytime, anywhere. Though there are many challenges for the proper implementation of ICT in higher education but after implementing it, it will definitely takes the new revolution in higher education in India.

Reference:

Snehi, Neeru. (2009) “ICT in Indian Universities and Colleges: Opportunities and Challenges.” Management & Change, Vo13. Retrieved from (http://www.mimts.org/Management%20&%20Change/9ICT%20in%20Indian%20Universities%20and%20Colleges%20-%20Oppertunites%20and%20Challenges.pdf)

Mondal, Ajit and Mete, Jayanta. (2012) “ICT in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges” Bhatter College Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol-II.  Retrieved from (http://bcjms.bhattercollege.ac.in/ict-in-higher-education-opportunities-and-challenges/)

 

Nitschke, Jan Jacobus. (2005) “The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Science Education: the Case of the Namibian College of Open Learning” Retrieved from (http://pcf4.dec.uwi.edu/viewpaper.php?id=213&print=1)

Hattangdi, Ashish and Ghosh, Atanu.(2008) “Enhancing the quality and accessibility of higher education through the use of Information and Communication Technologies.” Reterived from (http://www.iitk.ac.in/infocell/announce/convention/papers/Strategy%20Learning-01-Ashish%20Hattangdi,%20%20Atanu%20Ghosh.pdf)

http://www.col.org/resources/speeches/2009presentation/Pages/2009-07-08.aspx. Accessed 27 Feb 2015

http://archive.financialexpress.com/news/role-of-ict-in-indian-educational-sector/794286(The Financial Express, Accessed 27 Feb 2015)