Abstract:

Life Long Learning (LLL) is one of the significant contributor in the country’s economic and social development. LLL is one of the basic educational right for an individual. Constant development in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has contributed overwhelmingly for a dynamic perceptive of Life Long Learning (LLL). However, there are oppositions to this aspect of ICTs in promoting LLL. The paper provides for a discussion between the Cyber Optimists, who see a great potential in enhancing LLL through ICTs and on the other hand it discusses the Cyber Pessimists, who doubt the potentials of ICTs support to realize the LLL. Post liberalization in India we have adopted e-governance as a reform in governance, which consolidates the position of the Cyber Optimists school of thought, which the paper attempts to elucidate in detail. Generally it is the developing countries like India that need efficient policy and management of LLL. Are they well equipped to adopt and adapt to such a novel policy and management strategies?

Lifelong learning is the process where people (especially the youth) enter and re-enter formal learning at many points throughout their lives, fundamentally contributes to a “knowledge-based” society. Lifelong Learning cuts across all kinds of inequalities in the society offers to all irrespective of any discriminations or reservations its advantages. This phenomenon of equal access to knowledge is vital characteristic of the knowledge based society. Further, lifelong learning is a continuous intellectual activity which develops a critical and dialectical process among the people in the society. A knowledge based society does create the aspect of criticality and dialectical discourse. India having a life expectancy of 62.5 years (Male 62.35 years and Female 63.39 years) according to 2001 census report, we should highlight the policy of LLL significantly especially to the female population. The process and procedures of lifelong learning no doubt contribute in many ways towards promotion of a ‘knowledge-based’ society. A knowledge-based society is an innovative and life-long learning society, which possesses a community of scholars, researchers, engineers, technicians, research networks, and firms engaged in research and in production of high-technology goods and service provision.

Rapid changes and new development in technology have improved our ability to communicate and spread the Life Long Learning (LLL) message around the world. Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) offer a number of new opportunities and challenges to the LLL community across the globe. It is good to see that they are increasingly being addressed by LLL scholars, practitioners, organizations, commissions and activists. In the context of this paper, ICTs include the workings of all digital communications networks (principally the Internet), wireless networks, and radio broadcast networks. Across different phases of policymaking and information dissemination, they can be applied in various forms as database technologies, decision support technologies, networking technologies, and personal identification and tracking technologies.

Thus, the paper would argue that the role of ICTs in India is very much essential for developing and sustaining knowledge based society through the policy of lifelong learning.

Keywords:

information communication technology, lifelong learning, knowledge based society.