The Hindu : National : A proud moment for a schoolteacher

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
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National

National

A proud moment for a schoolteacher

Rishikesh Bahadur Desai

Vijayakala Kunale chosen for Microsoft's Innovative Teachers Leadership Award

Vijayakala Kunale

BIDAR: This is the story of a girl from a tribal hamlet in Basava Kalyan taluk who went on to become a national award winner in computer-aided education.

Vijayakala Kunale, a teacher at the Government Girls High School in Wadagaon in Aurad taluk, has been selected for the Innovative Teachers Leadership Award instituted by the Microsoft Corporation of the United States. Ms. Vijayakala's computer-based science project on water management and for assessing the characteristics of groundwater won the award.

The 36-year-old teacher is travelling to Cambodia to receive the award in March. She is one of the three teachers from Karnataka and one of the 10 from across the country, to be so honoured.

Ms. Vijayakala was born in Kohinoor Wadi in Basava Kalyan. Her early life was hard. Limited resources reduced her chances of getting quality education at a young age. She attended school in the neighbouring Kohinoor village. A bright student, she stood first in the taluk in the SSLC examination. She later completed her B.Sc. from BVB College in Bidar and M.Sc. in Botany from the Gulbarga University with the aid of merit scholarships. She later joined the Government High School in Wadagaon in Aurad taluk.

As many as 14,000 teachers from government and private schools had participated in the competition, programme manager Srinivas Garimella said in a letter to the winners.

Ms. Vijayakala said she was excited. "I never thought I could get [the award]. It has been a pleasant surprise for myself and my students," she said. "I first got to see a computer when I was asked to teach science to students using it. We were trained under the Government's school computerisation programme. I got curious about how computers work and got some additional training with the help of friends and acquaintances. Learning and teaching about computers has been a fulfilling experience."

"The seminar in Cambodia promises to be an opportunity to showcase best practices and international sharing of exceptional innovative practices across the region. I am eagerly looking forward to it," she said.

"We are aware of the tremendous work some teachers are doing. We would want to use the seminar as an opportunity to showcase the outcomes of successful integration of technology with education in government schools. This seminar helps teachers share their experiences and learn from each other," said the letter from the programme manager.

Of the 10 teachers selected, five are from government schools and the rest from private schools. Apart from the three from Karnataka, two teachers each from Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal, and one each from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and New Delhi won the award. The award was introduced in 2004.

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