The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Community service at its best Studying at school, learning from college

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Community service at its best Studying at school, learning from college

Amutha Kannan

WOW! Students from a government school being taught the basics of using computers at the Government College of Technology in the city. - Photo: M. Periasamy

COIMBATORE: For the 50 children from Standards VII, VIII and IX of Government High School, Seeranaikenpalayam, it is like a fairy tale. Their eager faces, as they sit facing a computer at the Government College of Technology, say it all.

For those entering the laboratory of the Department of Computer Science Engineering at the college, it will come as a surprise to see school students working on the computers there, that too during the summer holidays. They were at the college to learn the basics of computers from college teachers.

The two-day programme gives the children, who have not even seen a computer from close quarters, an insight into all aspects of computer usage - usage of mouse, keyboard, storing and retrieving data and files, use of MS word, Kural software to create documents, using Internet to send e-mails, and operating search engines.

Many more children like them from rural schools will undergo such programmes at the college. World Bank funds the computer awareness programme organised by the college under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme. The college received the three-year grant in 2005 to do community service. This programme is one of the many for which the grant is being used.

V. Lakshmi Prabha, Head of the Department says: "Eight Government schools have been identified for the programme. The programme started on May 2 will go on till May 29. Fifty children from each school will undergo the two-day programme. They are taught the conventional uses of computer and to create a timetable, draw and paint on the computer."

"Each student is given a computer. An LCD projector is used to teach theory and demonstrate the practical aspects. A test is conducted to assess their level of understanding. A course completion certificate is given to them at the end of the two-day programme," she adds.

The students are given a guidebook in Tamil on how to use computers. The college also arranges for the children to be picked up by the college bus from a common point, provides them with tea, snacks, lunch and drops them back at the end of the day.

Do the children like the experience?

"The response has been very good. The children are very fast in picking up. Honestly we did not expect them to respond so well. We only hope this effort will motivate them to learn more about computers. Our basic idea was to help kindle their interest in the area of computers. This experience will surely remove fear children about computers and prepare them to compete with children from urban schools," says Ms. Prabha.

S. Leelavathy and A. Cheran, both students of Standard VII, are very happy to be part of the group from their school. "We have not seen a computer so far. This has been a good learning experience. We will definitely try to develop the knowledge we have gained here," they echo.

S. Karmegam, Chief Educational Officer, says: "This attempt by the college is a trend-setter. The Government high schools do not have computers; only the higher secondary schools have. We are trying to make use of the old computers of the higher secondary schools in the high schools. Such programmes will definitely benefit the students."

Asked whether more such programmes will be organised, Mr. Karmegam says that it is a difficult task to organise them because transporting students to the place of training and back is not easy. "School-centred programmes will be of more use," he says on a concluding note.

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