Is it time for India to have cyber universities too?

Cyber universities seem to be the wave of the future. Japan’s Cyber University headquartered in Fukuoka began in 2007 and now has approximately 1,900 students who can graduate with a Bachelor degree in IT, business or world heritage. Korea too has proposed to open six new cyber universities by 2010. California State University of Dominguez Hills, listed amongst Forbes Magazine’s Top 20 ‘Cyber Universities’ has delivered 63 courses to more than 3,700 students using a variety of media including cable TV, PBS, satellite, videoconferencing and the Internet. Is it time for India to have cyber universities too?Embracing change: One needs to move ahead with time, that has been the law of nature. Vijay Mukhi, cyber expert who strong believes in this, opines, “Everything is going virtual. There is an increase in broadband speed too, then why not have cyber universities in India? There are so many videos you can download on a subject. Education has changed and I see no reason why we are sticking to the past. It can bring students and teachers much closer.”Educationists too seem to be positive of such an initiative. Basanti Roy, ex-divisional secretary, Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education asserts that if such a system is started for a higher age group of students, then they will be responsible. She says, “Compared to classroom teaching, I think this will be a progressive step. Students who are earning and learning , for them it will be a convenient mode to pursue their studies.”Cyber universities seem to be apt at a time where the youth wish to begin earning as soon as they are out of school. “Students will appreciate such initiatives as it is convenient, saves time and moreover students can do other courses side by side apart from those who wish to earn early in life,” says Dr Jyoti Nair, vice principal, New Horizon Public School, Airoli. She believes that if cyber universities are started here and recognised then many students will opt for it.Yet, there are many others who believe in the age old method of classroom teaching. Francesca Aranha, teacher, General Education Academy, Chembur agrees that we have to change with technology. “But that is only if the population of the place is too much. India is not so hi-tech where education is concerned. Education is an allround development whether young or old. If we start cyber universities then education will become mechanical and will lose the humane touch. Everything is getting replaced by machines but we definitely don’t want teachers being replaced by a machine,” she says as a matter of fact.“The idea may seep in but for people to accept, it will take another 15 years,” she says adding that off late students have started embracing the old holistic way of education. “For a country where education is sentimental and value based, I don’t think this kind of education is right. It is a part of our culture that a teacher is a part of an individual and an individual is part of the institution,” she adds on a serious note.“I don’t think we are ready for cyber universities. We have fun going to school, it’s no fun doing lessons online. It would also mean fewer activities,” says Simran Makhija, student, Green Lawns High School, Breach Candy. She adds, “Even if it’s for the college level, I wouldn’t agree as there would be less activities.”Vijay Mukhi doesn’t see any disadvantage to such an initiation. “The only disadvantage is that it will take us, human beings, time to understand that cyber is a better way to learn,” he says. The cyber expert explains, “At a cyber university you can attend the class as per your convenience; you can even question and interact with the teacher.”According to Vijay, this is a win-win situation. “Anyone who doesn’t want to accept this would be living in the past,” he quips. The problem says Vijay is that “if India doesn’t start a cyber university then you have to be a student of a cyber university of some other country.”

Nitika

PGDM-3rd sem

sec-B