Pioneer of Technology for Education – ANUP K. RAY

Over a hundred of us involved in research for Technology for Education had gathered for our annual conference on Dec 20 2013. The Conference was hosted by IIT Kharagpur this time.  We took some time off to honour Prof A K Ray who is a pioneer in the field and to celebrate his reaching seventy.

I must share his story, which sets an excellent example to young engineers learning new technologies. It was the technology of television that had beckoned Anup Ray as he completed his under-graduate work at the Jadavpur University in 1964. There was a lot of research in progress in the field, and the promise of the technology was great. Anup Ray went to work with Phillips starting with work in the camera division in Holland. He then went on to do a PhD at the Essex University, working on the Human Perception of Color in Images.

Visionaries could look ahead and see great potential for educational applications of the TV technology. Anup Ray was not alone. Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Prof Yashpal had already started using satellite broadcasting to low cost terminals for educational TV. Mr. Deodhar who was Chairman, Electronics Commission, in the eighties, wrote a book named “the third parent” http://www.psdeodhar.net/pdfs/thirdparent.pdf.

Anup Ray returned to India heading a Dept at the Technical Teachers Training Institute in Chandigarh. In 1987 he moved to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, as Professor of Educational Technology and set up a full-fledged Centre for Educational Technology. Serious production of educational videos for nationwide use began. Soon IIT Delhi would start up-linking educational videos to a satellite for broadcast.  

He moved to IIT Kharagpur in 1997 where he established the largest and most diverse Centre for Educational Technology in India. He created and led the program named Electronically Networked - Life Long Learning which trained over 12000 professionals in the field of ICT over five years. It depended upon centrally produced video lectures which were used by tutors and facilitators at a large number of Centres. This model enabled discussions by local groups, introducing a networking element.

Anup Ray introduced the first Video on Demand service at IIT Kharagpur in 2001. His team created a variety of tools for video classrooms. Anup Ray has served as a consultant to UNESCO and has also served on several company boards.

Over the last ten years, Prof Ray has played valuable roles in the NPTEL programme (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Programme_on_Technology_Enhanced_Learning) and other national programmes related to technology for education. Going beyond technology, he has worked for years in the recent past on pedagogy.

What an exciting way to enter a new field in its salad days, focus on its socially valuable uses and to serve India with all one has learnt? A dream for every engineering/science student to live for!

Srinivasan Ramani