President
of India Supports CyberLearning Projects
March 13, 2006
Indian President Abdul Kalam (left) congratulates CyberLearning
Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan
During a 30-minute private meeting with CyberLearning Chairman
Dr. Appu Kuttan, Indian President Abdul Kalam expressed support
for the two national projects CyberLearning is undertaking in
India. The two projects are:
1. "Million ICT" project : As the global
non-profit leader in ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
digital education and in bridging the digital divide, CyberLearning
is planning to implement this project this year. The goal is to
train one million Indians, especially the poor rural and urban
citizens, in ICT, thus helping to bridge India's huge digital
divide as Dr. Kuttan once promised former Indian Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi and former Indian President Dr. K.R. Narayanan, both
of whom Dr. Kuttan knew well. Specifically, CyberLearning plans
to train at least one person in every village. Reliance, one of
India's largest conglomerates, has already agreed to provide high
speed Internet access at its 240 Web World centers throughout
India.
2. "Million HIV" project : CyberLearning
plans to launch a national program to train a million Indian healthcare
professions (doctors, nurses etc) in HIV education. The goal is
to alleviate the serious HIV problem that could derail India's
economic progress. CyberLearning has already developed the courses
(online, CD, book) in partnership with the Indian Medical Association
(IMA). CyberLearning is ready to launch this program this year.
President Kalam said that both these projects are very important
for India. The President has asked his office to assist with the
launching of both projects.
