HYDERABAD: In a massive networking of educational and research institutions, around 5,000 nodes are being established to connect universities, laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and agriculture bodies as part creating a knowledge society.

Disclosing this to reporters after delivering Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture on ‘Knowledge for growth: Harnessing India’s Demographic Dividend’ at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) here on Sunday, former National Knowledge Commission Chairman, Sam Pitroda said the entire networking would be done by laying a 10 gigabyte bandwidth and was expected to be completed in two to three years as 200 nodes were already established.

He said the proposed 14 innovation universities to be set up in different parts of the country would focus on evolving new models rather than copying what was already in vogue. He felt that one of the universities should be on Indian heritage which would look at various aspects heritage and culture and document them.

There was a need to expand broadband connectivity to at least 100 million people and focus on local applications in the health, education and public services. Calling for revamping education system, he said the recommendations of the Knowledge Commission and those of the Yashpal Committee were pretty similar and suggested minimising political interference in the functioning of universities and providing autonomy to Vice-Chancellors.

He said the western model of education was expensive, not scalable and sustainable. As a result, the problems of poor do not get focussed.

Dr. Pitroda said the Knowledge Commission had made 300 recommendations on 27 subjects.

Emphasising the need to leverage Information and Communication Technology to transform the lives of the people through innovation, he said the focus should be on knowledge and not on education.

The key was to have access to knowledge which could be done by making more people literate, through translations, libraries and broadband network among others. S. K. Rao, Director General, ASCI and former Army chief Gen. K. V. Krishna Rao spoke.