State urged to set up knowledge corps for rural services

Karnataka Knowledge Commission (KKC) member and former NASA scientist Nazeer Ahmed urged the State government to set up a Knowledge Corps for Rural Services taking cue from Peace Corps for Global Service, established by the then US President John F Kennedy in 1961.

Addressing reporters here on Friday, Ahmed, also a former legislator from Tumkur, said he has submitted a six-point plan for a knowledge-based transformation in rural Karnataka.

 The plan includes making rural schools self-sufficient in terms of power, increasing Internet penetration, incorporating digital learning system with big data analytics, training of teachers, focus on technology and innovation through Knowledge Centres and Knowledge Corps in villages.

Speaking on Knowledge Corps, he said ‘the best and brightest graduates’ from top institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) should be encouraged to spend three months in rural high schools.“There is a crying need for injecting knowledge into our villages. Many rural government schools are poorly staffed. Often, the teachers themselves need basic training in their core subjects,” he said. 

He suggested that the government set up self-sustained schools with each school comprising 300 students, costing about Rs 29.5 lakh for the first year and Rs six lakh on a recurrent basis.