Kerala has become the first state in the country to go completely digital in public education, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday, October 12, 2020.  

This has been possible due to hi-tech projects like the Rs 493.50 crore hi-tech school project for secondary schools and the Rs 300 crore hi-tech lab project for primary schools, all the 16,000 public schools in the state are now equipped with 374,274 IT equipment, including 119,055 laptops, 69,944 multimedia projectors, 100,473 USB speakers, 23,098 projector screens, 43,250 mounting kits, 4,545 LED TVs, 4,578 DSLR cameras, 4,720 full HD webcams and 4,611 multi-function printers along with high-speed broadband internet connectivity to 12,678 schools. These programmes are being implemented by the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE).

The Chief Minister said that all students in Kerala can now use modern technology for their studies and that the government was determined to give quality education to all sections of people. He added, “In reviving the state’s public education, the government has ensured people’s participation. The three-tier local bodies have been entrusted with the task of reviving the public education system. Several government schools on the verge of closure have been revived. Kerala schools now have world-class facilities and this has brought in changes in the academic sector also.”

K. Anvar Sadath, CEO at KITE, said that all the equipment have a five-year comprehensive onsite warranty, which is the first of its kind in the country, and to address any complaint, a web-portal and call centre are also functional. All equipment come with insurance coverage. He said, “Since the deployment of IT equipment to schools alone would not suffice an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) enabled learning system, we have ensured essential components such as ICT content development through its Samagra portal.”

“The state has ensured that not even a single student misses out any classes during these testing times. Through the First Bell programme, classes are being held through the KITE VICTERS channel, which are also broadcast through Facebook Live and YouTube,” added Sadath.

Source: IANS

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