Academicians, students lack internet access: RK Ranjan
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 23 2025: Former minister of State for Education Dr RK Ranjan has informed that majority of the academicians and students in Manipur were found to have low access to internet during an assessment of the same carried out for the north eastern states.

A one-day consultative workshop on the topic 'Viksit Bharat' and National Education Policy-2020' was jointly organised by Centre for Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI), Manipur University and IQAC, Dhanamanjuri University (DMU) at DM College of Science hall on Thursday.

While noting importance of accessing internet for digital and online education, Dr Ranjan disclosed that an assessment carried out during his tenure as the MoS found that Manipur had access to around 45 per cent of internet facilities, while Meghalaya covered 80 per cent, "and Nagaland and Assam 75 per cent.

"If a state does not have full access to internet, then the education sector cannot develop," he remarked, while appealing to all concerned for concerted efforts in addressing the gap and realising the dream of a developed India by 2047.In his speech, CSSI, MU associate professor and coordinator Dr Thiyam Bharat Singh said that the objective of NEP 2020 is to make the educational system inclusive and flexible, especially for those from the weaker socio-economic backgrounds, thereby helping to realise the goal of Viksit Bharat.

He continued that discussion need to be held over the demographic imbalance in the state owing to the issue of illegal immigration, which has posed a challenge for the education sector in implementing NEP-2020 in Manipur and the other north-eastern states.

Presided over by DMU IQAC director and DM College of Science principal M Bhuvane-shwari Devi, the workshop was attended by MU CSSI director Prof Sudhirkumar, and Workshop coordinator and DMU's Zoology head and NEP-2020 nodal officer Prof L Hemochandra Singh as guests of honour.

As part of the workshop, a plenary session was held, wherein various resource persons spoke on varied topics.

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