4 March 2022

Much as the Ministry of Education and different stakeholders are working to give shape to the Digital University announced in the 2022 Union Budget, the idea is still at a nascent stage, with plans to speed up the process. As to how such a university can be effective in a country with uneven internet access, AICTE chairman

says, "India is one of those countries where internet penetration is down to the smallest of places though we have not been able to complete 100% coverage. However, we have penetrated all the districts, and of the 6-7 lakh villages, more than 2.5 lakh villages have internet connectivity. In the next year, all 7 lakh villages are going to have a broadband connection. Even the data cost in India is the cheapest in the world, so the discussion on the digital divide will no longer hold ground once our targets are met. This will enable us to provide education, even in the mother tongue, and at the doorstep."