MaSSSoftech

By SONYA MISQUITTA

MUMBAI -- A striking 71% of students in Indian metropolitan areas say they use personal computers, according to a new survey by information technology giant Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

And 66 % of students in the southern city of Bangalore said they were active on blogging and social networking sites, compared with 39% nationally, the same survey found.

The survey of nearly 14,000 kids studying in English-language schools in 12 major cities in India shows schoolchildren here have embraced technology and the Internet, with Google and Wikipedia overtaking the library as the most trusted source of information.

The survey "confirms that today's students are shifting their academic and social life online and embracing the digital world as true digital natives," said S. Ramadorai, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Consultancy.

Conducted in 2008 and 2009, the survey is the outgrowth of a quiz show that Tata Consultancy launched a decade ago in English schools across India to create an interest in technology. Through the survey, Tata Consultancy hopes to connect with potential employees by gaining a better understanding of how young people use technology to work, play and think, company officials said.

Rising incomes among India's middle class have meant that more families are likely to own a personal computer.

Among the many significant findings of the survey was the fact that the highest percentage of users of personal computers were in Bangalore and Delhi -- at 77%.

Some 63% of children surveyed said they spent more than an hour each day on the Internet; 41% of school children surveyed chose Google as a source of information, while 46% said they use online sources to access news.

Far fewer children reported using the library. Cochin in Kerala ranked the highest in library usage, at 14%.

Blogging and social networking also appear to be gaining ground. Higher education abroad remains a common goal among students. The U.S. remains the most popular study destination with nearly 40% preferring to study there, the survey found. However, when it comes to their careers, 49% said they would like to stay in India.

Laptops and Ipod players do not appear to have reached many homes, according the survey. Mumbai had the highest laptop penetration, at 38%, compared to the national average of 19%. Tata Consultancy is one of India's largest information technology players, with 48,000 employees in India, 95% of whom are 25 years old or younger.