Delegates at the event on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, May 18: The benefits of information technology (IT) need to reach every section of people for overall development of the society.

Experts expressed this view at a national conference on “IT education for inclusive growth”, jointly organised by Indian Institute of Business Management (IIBM) and Dr Zakir Husain Group of Institutions at the Planetarium today.

U.K. Singh, the director-general of IIBM and ZHI Group of Institutions, said: “The advent of satellite communication, which resulted in the invention of the Internet, is most probably the biggest invention of the century. Though it took time achieve the correct momentum in different parts of the world, its achievement cannot be denied. Today, because of the IT revolution, we can see what is happening around the world in our own homes. At present, the benefits of this revolution are shared by industrialists, educationists and the people who are at the top. But according to the theory of inclusive growth, we have to ensure that the benefits reach the sections of people who are deprived of it. Only then can we achieve development.”

Singh also said: “There is a need for experts who can design software, hardware and mobile engineers to fulfil the demands in the IT sector. So we have to set up IT education as a model in society.”

H.R. Vishwakarma, the secretary of Computer Society of India and senior faculty member of VIT University, Vellore, dealt with the benefits of video conferencing. He said: “America is known to have the best faculty members in the world and India has the best students. IT education can work wonders if we want to bring these two together. Through video conferencing, not only can Indian students access the expertise of the teachers, they can also benefit from what they teach, sitting in their own homes. Video conferencing has brought the world closer by breaking down geographical barriers. ”

S.N. Guha, the vice-chancellor of Aryabhatt Knowledge University, said: “Today information technology is not only used for trade and scientific inventions but also in fields like agriculture, rural development, training and recreation. It has marked its presence everywhere and computerisation has become a necessary tool for development. So it is the responsibility of educational institutions to educate their students on IT-based technology and its effective use.”

Guha added the university would soon start bachelors and masters degree courses in IT-based subjects so that the demand for expertise in the sector can be met.