Chennai: While addressing a ceremony at the Sathyabama University here on Wednesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said that vocational distance learning programmes that use Village Resource Centres (VRCs) should be taken up on a national scale to create employment opportunities in the country.

Dr. Nair added that VRCs were proposed about two years ago as single-window mechanisms to provide services ranging across tele-education, e-governance and tele-medicine. This has now been evolved into a proven concept.

Expressing full satisfaction with ISRO's educational partnership with Sathyabama University, Dr. Nair said, "ISRO was looking for other committed partners to broadbase the VRCs and generate a multiplier effect in terms of self-employment, income-generation and all-round rural development. We may bring in innovative systems, but eventually it all boils down to the people who operate these systems."

Dr. Nair also distributed diploma certificates to the first batch of students of Sathyabama University on their completion of a one-year programme in various vocational courses.

The first batch of 1,200 students attended the ISRO satellite-supported distance education programme from 15 VRCs in various districts of the State. The students, who were Class X passouts, were trained as nursing assistant, laboratory, electrical and plumbing technicians.

Sathyabama University has established the VRCs with ISRO providing the technology inputs. The VRCs are operating from various districts of the state and are encouraging students to take up training programs in various vocational courses.