Chennai, May 26 (BPNS)
Government schools in Tamil Nadu will be getting more internet connectivity and get a smart make-over with the intervention of an education-oriented Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) ,’ Bal Utsav’.
The NGO is providing internet-supported classrooms in South India and has already implemented successfully in Karnataka and is now foraying into Tamil Nadu. The project will be implemented through the flagship programme of the NGO,’iShaala’. The project as a model will be implemented at Government Model Higher Secondary School, Saidapet.
The programme ‘iShaala’ focuses on four key areas, school infrastructure ( internet connectivity, ed-tech content, and smart TVs), WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), teacher development, and scholarships for children.
The modus operandi of Bal Utsav is to partner with content providers, ed-tech firms to make age and class-appropriate content available. It also focuses on blended learning for children.
The content provided by the NGO can be assessed by the students either through the smartphones of parents or through tabs and Smart TVs provided in schools to teachers.
Bal Utsav in a statement on Thursday said that the ‘iShaala’ are model schools specifically designed for government school children and are innovative, interactive, inclusive, and internet-powered.
The NGO said that the project was earlier implemented in 200 government schools of Karnataka and that the present focus is on Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The plan, according to the NGO is to implement ‘iShaala’ in 75 schools within a 200 km radius of Chennai in the next three years.
Binu Varma, Co-founder of Bal Utsav while speaking to BPNS said, “ In Tamil Nadu, only 18% of government schools have internet facilities and there is a need to make them internet-connected and have smart classrooms.”
Tamil Nadu government is also in the process of increasing internet connectivity in government schools and setting up smart classrooms and Bal Utsav expects that the NGO can supplement the move of the state government in the government school education sector.
