The Hindu : New Delhi News : Computer education set to become a reality in MCD schools

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Computer education set to become a reality in MCD schools

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, JUNE 21. Computer education in municipal primary schools will become a reality when the students join their classes after summer vacation on July 1.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which imparts primary education to nearly 10 lakh students belonging mostly to the lower strata of society, has prepared an elaborate time - bound action plan to provide computer education to the students of Class III, IV and V in 1,000 of it's 1,833 municipal primary schools in phases this year. This would make the MCD the only civic body in the country providing computer education to such a large number of students and schools.

Christened project "Sharda", the MCD has tied up with the Rajya Siksha Kendra, (formally called Rajiv Gandhi Siksha Mission), Bhopal, to provide `content and syllabus' of the computer education to students in all subjects including mathematics, social sciences and science. Purchase of educational content on CDs is likely to cost the MCD Rs. 14 lakhs. Later, based on its experience and feedback, the MCD intends to develop its own content and syllabus.

Following a detailed tendering process, spread over a year, the MCD has identified two organisations, Micro Computer Services Ltd. and Network for Information and Computer Technology (NICT), which would set up the "necessary infrastructure" and impart computer education to students through its trained teachers for the next five years. An agreement is likely to be signed between the two companies and the MCD, after a formal approval by the Standing Committee, later this week.

While computer education is expected to be launched in the first week of July, probably on July 1 itself, `project Sharda' is likely to cover 485 schools in the next three months and the remaining 515 by the end of the current academic year. These schools have been selected with an eye on the basic infrastructure facilities and sufficient number of enrolment in Class III, IV and V. Officials said all these schools have been divided into four groups: A, B, C and D.

While 246 schools of the Karol Bagh, Central and South Zones have been clubbed into Group A, 239 schools of Sadar Pahar Ganj, Narela and Rohini Zones in Group B, 267 schools of City Najafgarh and West Zones into Group C and 248 schools of Shahdara (North), Shahdara (South) and Civil Lines in Group D. A special computer lab would be set up in all these schools. Each lab would comprise three to eight computers based on the strength of the students. Officials said while Micro Computer Services would impart computer education in Group A and C schools, NICT would do so in Group B and D.

Senior officials said, it has been ensured that every student of Class III, IV and V gets an opportunity to learn computer at least one class per week. As per the details of the project, students in a group of three to five would be taught computer so that they feel it, touch it, use it and learn lessons on it. "We want the students to not just acquire enough expertise to open and close the computer, but also use it for learning various subjects. Accordingly a syllabus is also being developed," officials said.

Promoters of computer education in MCD schools said the civic body was committed to improve the standard of primary education qualitatively as well as quantitatively for the harmonious development of children. In the past, the MCD had tried to provide education through various methods and by using audio-visual aids such as charts, models, pictures, maps and slide from film- strips. However, these were mostly pilot projects and could not take off.

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