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The growth of agriculture saw man using animals for his own gain, the industrial revolution saw him using machines (which worked on other energy sources) and increasing his output manifold. He also developed techniques of "mechanization" so that less skilled labour could produce goods that formerly required more skills. This meant that a person with greater skill could put his skill into designing a machine which could later be used by a less skilled man to produce goods continuously. This led to an exponential growth of industry. Yet, the management of that industry was an intellectual skill that was not very easily available. Now the coming of the computer and the Information Technology is bringing higher management skills within the reach of the less skilled person who can collect, store and retrieve selective information and even use expert systems to take routine management decisions. Computers are to management what jigs and mass production machines were to manufacturing industries. India lagged behind when the industrial revolution came; we are still to catch up with it. We cannot afford to miss the Information Technology revolution. On the contrary, we should use it to catch up on the industrial revolution, as well. The basis of the information technology is, of course, the collection of information and this is done by humans. It is most important that we train our rural youth in the matter of measurement and systematic recording of this information. Unfortunately we are culturally weak in this. 7. The Technology Ladder The real world of work is the best education where working people are constantly learning and improving their skills. Some learn faster than others. Those who learn, now make more value addition in their work than before. This gives them more importance. Their time is Rural Development Through Education System 225
