HIS FAVOURITE ROLE: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam interacts with students of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya at President's Estate after inaugurating the e-learning centre, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's visit on Thursday to the school at the edge of his estate had children in a spin.

On his second trip to the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya (his first visit was to cast his vote there), he spent a good part of the morning preaching about e-revolution.

From launching the e-governance portal at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which will make the office as paper-free as it can, to inaugurating an e-learning centre at the school, it was a day to translate the President's vision of "seamless access information" within his "estate."

The e-learning centre uses software that turns tough concepts of mathematics and science into 3-D animation. The school is the first in the Capital to have software designed by Eureka.

Advice for teachers

"If you don't become learners, how will you teach? I think you should have some training for teachers so that they can teach students," Mr. Kalam said. Apart from offering friendly advice to teachers, he also found time to quiz the children. Walking into a classroom, he took youngsters by surprise, asking them how much time the Earth took to revolve around the sun.

A wish come true

While he stumped a few with his disarming manners, for Gurmeet it was a day when her wish came true — she met the President. "I wanted to meet him. I think he is a very friendly and nice person. I wrote many e-mails to him. But he didn't answer. Now I've met him. I really wish I'd got his autograph though," she exclaimed.

The school will now be linked to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the President will be able to send in ideas.

The e-governance portal connects different departments of the Rashtrapati Bhavan so that a petition or letter sent to the President does not have to physically travel through the various levels of officers. Scanned at one end, it will electronically be available at the click of a button. It is hoped that the system will ensure faster replies.

Search engine

There is also a search engine, which allows the user to locate files. It also ensures instant connectivity with the Raj Bhavans.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan library is in the process of being digitised. "About 15,000 books have been scanned. There are 25,000 books in the library, but we have digitised only those that have no copyright restrictions. The idea is to make the library accessible to everyone as it will be available on the President's website soon. We also want to preserve rare books from any natural calamity," an official said.

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