About
Large section of population in India needs access to information such as market prices of goods they produce, about health services, about the structure and services of public visibility for improving the quality of their lives and livelihood, etc. Information Technology could provide access to knowledge, education and skills development. It is a known fact that use of Information Technology can also contribute towards universal access to education, equity in education, delivery of quality learning and teaching and more efficient education management, governance and administration.
There is a need to empower everyone with basic IT literacy skills so that they are able to reap the benefits of spread of Information Technology. The IT Literacy would act as a vehicle for improved quality of life, accessibility to information, transparency in governance and overall socio-economic growth.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT in it’s 7th report on Information Technology (2009-10) on “Demands of Grants (2010-11)” of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Department of Information Technology) had recommended that there is a need to maintain the data with regard to literacy rate in computer in our country.
Keeping the above in view, Government of India has initiated a policy level intervention for spreading IT Mass Literacy in the country. For spreading IT literacy, evolving an implementation strategy for IT mass Literacy, eliciting suggestions / comments and information on various aspects of IT literacy viz. definitions and standards, approach for development of course material, methodologies for spreading of IT literacy etc., a Working Group on IT Mass Literacy has been constituted under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor, IGNOU and members from Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Rural Development, NASSCOM and various State Governments etc.
During the first meeting of the Working Group on IT Mass Literacy it emerged that in order to bring out a set of definitions for IT literacy; methodology to evolve a definition, linking the definition to the kind of course structures and syllabus, structure for spreading IT literacy comments/views could also be invited from the public. In view of this it is requested that the feedback form may please be filled up to enable us to achieve the objectives as brought out earlier.
