India's first Digital Varsity comes up in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 (PTI)Kerala took a major stepforward in its progress towards a knowledge society withtheinauguration of the country's first Digital University,based in Technocity at Mangalapuram near here on Saturday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presided overthefunction, where Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is also theChancellor of theKerala University of Digital Sciences,Innovation and Technology(KUDSIT), unveiled the varsityplaque.

Both the Governor and the Chief Minister addressed thefunction through video conferencing.

In his inaugural address,Khan said the launch of theDigital University is part of the state'sresolve to embracenew technologies and desire to use them for bringing positivechanges in the life of people and become a global hub forhigher learning and technology.

Praising the state government for recent initiatives inhigher education including the launch of Sree Narayana GuruOpen University, the Governor said ''In any aspect of life,knowledge brings courage, understanding, acceptance, unity andalso liberates us from the clutches of ignorance.'' ''Thesociety expects the Digital University to provideintellectual support to lap up the new world of opportunitiesarising through artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain, DataAnalytics and other digital transformation courses,'' he said.

In his address, the CM said the launch of the firstDigital University in the country would open tremendousopportunities for youngsters.

''There should not be a digital divide in the society.

The government is involved in the efforts of attaining digitalexcellence in various fields.

We need to foster technically-talented people inaccordance with the changes in the new world,'' the CM said.

Noting that the Digital University aims at utilising thedevelopments in digital technology for social progress, hesaid the benefits of digital technology should be madeavailable for people in various walks of life.

According to official sources, the Digital University isset up by upgrading two-decade old Indian Institute ofInformation Technology and Management Kerala (IIITM-K), acenter of excellence in information technologies establishedby Government of Kerala.

It is formed with a vision of creating a futuristicinstitution of higher learning, aspiring to set a globalbenchmark in Digital technologies and its management.

Its focus is on post graduate programmes and researchbesides building strong industry-academic and academic-academic linkages with leading institutions in India andabroad, they said.

The university is starting with five schools ofknowledge--School of Computer Science and Engineering; Schoolof Digital Sciences; School of Electronic Systems andAutomation; School of Informatics; and School of DigitalHumanities and Liberal Arts, covering science, technology andhumanities aspects of the Digital world.

Each school will be offering master level programmes incomputer science, informatics, applied electronics andhumanities with various specialization of the industry 4.0world.

The adoption of technology in design, pedagogy, assessmentetc. is also a key driving factor for the new University,which focuses on early learners and re-learners with a host ofprogrammes in cutting edge areas of technology.

Towards this, specialized centres in areas likeBlockchain, AI&ML, Cyber Security, Bigdata analytics,Biocomputing and Geospatial analytics are to be set up incollaboration with leading international academic, researchand industry bodies.

The university will also lead the Digital TransformationInitiatives announced by the Kerala government in the Budget2021.

Spread across a 10-acre campus in Technocity, the firstphase of the university has been completed with an academicand a hostel block.

Once fully developed, it will provide education to 1,200residential scholars from its campus in addition to numerouslearners, who will be associated with the University throughvarious technological means.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)