The Hindu : Front Page : Computers, a junk in Government schools

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2006

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Computers, a junk in Government schools

Shastry V. Mallady

Owing to poor maintenance and delay in providing the required software

IN SLEEP MODE: An inactive computer at a school in Madurai district. — Photo: K. Ganesan

MADURAI: Computers supplied to Government higher secondary schools in the State are gradually turning into a junk in the absence of regular maintenance and delay in providing the required software

in tune with the revised syllabus.

With many of the computers not in working condition, teachers in these schools face difficulty in conducting computer science classes for higher secondary students.

Computer laboratories in many schools are in disarray due to non-functioning systems, monitors, keyboards and UPS.

N. Ammayappan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary School Headmasters' Association, said here on Tuesday that the annual maintenance contract given locally in all districts through Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) expired two years ago and was not renewed.

A teacher working in a school near Melur said that five out of 10 computers in his school were `out of order' and it was no different in another school at Sholavandan near here.

In the revised higher secondary syllabus, new topics such as Star Office 8.2 version, Windows XP, Multi-sim and Linux have been introduced but the software required to teach is yet to reach the schools.

According to Mr. Ammayappan, the problem is common to 1,400 Government schools in the State.

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