‘Teachers & parents should allow students to explore the world on their own’

Stating that those who criticise technology, make maximum use of it, the Advisor to the Prime Minister Sam Pitroda on Thursday urged parents and teachers to act only as mentors and allow students to explore the world on their own.

Delivering a lecture on "The Need for Information Infrastructure and Innovation in 21st century" at the jam-packed law auditorium in Panjab University (PU), Pitroda said both parents and teachers have old ideas and added that while lectures have remained the same for years, the time for change had arisen and young minds should make use of technology to be at its vanguard.

"Now education does not mean duster, chalk, blackboard and A B C...Students by using technology can learn about Paris in morning, Einstein in afternoon and about Gandhi in evening," the man credited with being behind India's IT revolution said.

Born in a tribal society in Orissa having seven siblings Pitroda is constantly working to digitise entire working of the government offices. While motivating the students, he said that for inventing new things you need not to have time in fact your mind has to work constantly.

Interestingly, he said that world is not about Cricket, Bollywood and gossip. We are living in best times and India is having huge young talents and by establishing National Knowledge Commission (NKC) to connect higher education institutes, innovation councils in the state, we are building platform for students for their better future.

"Universities do not create entrepreneurs. They making use of traditional methods of teaching the old courses. It is difficult to create over 5 million jobs every year," added Pitroda.

When asked by one of the students that present system does not allow us to think new things as to get degrees we have to attended class and appear for exams, Pitroda said, "You can drop a year to work on something new. If system is not changing, change yourself. India has to shun the systems it has adopted since the British Raj".

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