President of India Supports CyberLearning Projects

March 13, 2006

Indian President Abdul Kalam (left) congratulates CyberLearning Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan



During a 30-minute private meeting with CyberLearning Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan, Indian President Abdul Kalam expressed support for the two national projects CyberLearning is undertaking in India. The two projects are:

1. "Million ICT" project : As the global non-profit leader in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) digital education and in bridging the digital divide, CyberLearning is planning to implement this project this year. The goal is to train one million Indians, especially the poor rural and urban citizens, in ICT, thus helping to bridge India's huge digital divide as Dr. Kuttan once promised former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Indian President Dr. K.R. Narayanan, both of whom Dr. Kuttan knew well. Specifically, CyberLearning plans to train at least one person in every village. Reliance, one of India's largest conglomerates, has already agreed to provide high speed Internet access at its 240 Web World centers throughout India.

2. "Million HIV" project : CyberLearning plans to launch a national program to train a million Indian healthcare professions (doctors, nurses etc) in HIV education. The goal is to alleviate the serious HIV problem that could derail India's economic progress. CyberLearning has already developed the courses (online, CD, book) in partnership with the Indian Medical Association (IMA). CyberLearning is ready to launch this program this year.

President Kalam said that both these projects are very important for India. The President has asked his office to assist with the launching of both projects.