The highest literacy rate in India is in Kerala with a literacy rate of 93.91%. Despite this, the latest technology used to help learning has still not been implemented in many schools in the state. This is mainly due to the fact that rural areas do not have access to the internet. The government took note of this issue and have introduced a few reforms to change the scenario.
What and How
Many schools are following the path of digitization in India and introducing interactive study material to students to help them understand the subject better. Most schools will get access to high-speed internet connections by the 1st of November 2016. In Kerala, over 10,000 government and aided schools will get this facility.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will provide the connection to these schools. The internet connection will be a 2 MBPS connection which will have unlimited usage option. This project is undertaken by the ‘IT @ School’ Project which has been active since 2007. They have successfully provided internet connections to close to 5,000 high schools, educational offices, and higher secondary schools. This project will also include an e-monitoring system and other tools in order to ensure that the facility is being used in a safe and secure manner. Training will also be provided to use these tools efficiently.
Once these reforms are successfully implemented, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure will also be improved in primary schools.
Expert Opinion
K Anvar Sadath, Project Director said that once the internet facility is provided to primary schools, all the schools in the state will have access to high-speed internet facility. The total number of connections will be 15,000. It will be the first time in India that such a facility will be provided to all schools within a state. He also instructed that the high-speed internet connection should be utilized only for educational and administrative purposes and there would be systems in place to ensure this.
According to a statement by BSNL officials, the installation work for the internet connection will begin soon and will cover 40 percent of schools in the country by the end of 2016. The remaining 60 percent of schools would get the facility by March 31st, 2017.