Kolkata has highest mobile, PC penetration among students

Kolkata has emerged as the metropolitan city with the highest number of students using the internet for information access, as well as the highest mobile and personal computer penetration among students, according to a survey conducted by India’s largest IT solutions provider, Tata Consultancy Services.

Around 90 per cent of students have mobile phones and 76 per cent have a home PC, beating the national average.

This is among the largest youth surveys in India, and was conducted across 14,000 high school children between 12-18 years of age in 12 cities during 2008-09.

The survey says Kolkata leads the pack in the usage of Wikipedia (31 per cent) for information sourcing. Again, among all metros, Kolkata tops the preference for banking and financial services (20 per cent).

The survey shows ‘The Web 2.0 Generation’ are digital natives, who are highly technology savvy, global in terms of aspirations and outlook, as well as increasingly optimistic about India’s economic future.

“Nearly one out of 10 people on the planet are under 25 years old and living in India. That is the significance of India’s next generation and what they do, think and aspire to hold insights for all those who aim to engage with this Web 2.0 Generation,” said S Ramadorai, CEO and MD, TCS.

The TCS Generation Web 2.0 survey confirms that today’s students are shifting their academic and social life online and embracing the world as true digital natives. This societal trend has important implications for parents, educators, policy makers and future employers, as well as companies and brands that want to sell to tomorrow’s generation, the survey pointed out.

The TCS Generation Web 2.0 survey, conducted for the first time in 2008-09, highlights that over 80 per cent of urban school children have access to mobile phones, find time for the internet alongside school, classes and extra-curricular activities, and are starting to embrace Web 2.0 tools like blogs and social networking sites.

The desire to study abroad cuts across students nationwide, with the US being the most preferred destination, with nearly 40 per cent opting to study there. For some students, physical proximity plays a part in the choice of overseas education destination, especially in the mini metros. Singapore and Dubai are preferred by one in five students in Chennai and Cochin, respectively, as the top choice for overseas education.

The survey also highlights that 63 per cent of urban students spend over an hour online daily and around 93 per cent are aware of social networking, with Orkut and Facebook emerging as the most popular online destinations. Around 46 per cent use online sources to access news. Again, 62 per cent have a personal computer at home, while one in four students own laptops in metros. Similarly, two our of three urban students own music players.

The survey also reveals that for urban students in India, IT and engineering remain overwhelming popular career choices, while media and entertainment, travel and tourism are emerging careers.