Education takes a virtual leap

Post-graduate and graduate students of Grant Medical College will soon be able to access the library round the clock, as authorities have decided to start an e-library where students can access medical journals free of cost.

The college will be opening the e-library in the premises of JJ Hospital as part of the National Knowledge Network. It is one of the few institutions that are included in this countrywide network in the first phase.

The e-library is all set to start in a month, as authorities are waiting for an internet connection. “The infrastructure is in place. We are waiting for the internet connection,” said Dr TP Lahane, dean, Grant Medical College and JJ hospitals. “The library will also have printers, and students will be able to get copies at a rate of Rs50 paise. We will give students unique IDs so that there is no misuse of internet. Social networking sites will be blocked, but students will be able to access mails.”

Thanks to the National Knowledge Network, medical students at JJ Hospital will be able to seek guidance from experts at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on research papers. They will also be able to seek a second opinion on a biopsy from world-renowned experts from the United Kingdom or the United States.

The network, a recommendation of the National Knowledge Commission, will bring together all stakeholders in science, technology, higher education, research and development to play a greater role in facilitating e-learning. The commission has selected 15 prestigious institutions across the country for the first phase of networking. About 70 institutions will be connected under the network over a period of time.

“We have 28 computers for the e-library. Thirteen will be for post-graduate medical students, while 15 will be for under-graduate students. Computers of the heads of departments will be connected to the e-library. More than 2,000 journals and all textbooks will be available online,” said Dr Lahane.

Once connected, all institutions in the network will be able to exchange content, data or information with speeds in the order of gigabytes per second, coupled with extremely low latencies. Countrywide classrooms will address the issue of faculty shortage and ensure quality education across the country.

“By promoting a trans-disciplinary approach and facilitating interactions between the wisest and the youngest minds, this network will result in a quantum leap in meaningful medical research here,” said Dr Lahane.