Elementary education in the country is set to go hi-tech. A pilot
project approved by the HRD Ministry today will link nearly 1,000 schools in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh through EDUSAT, the exclusive education satellite.
Launched on September 20, 2004, EDUSAT has enhanced distance education in the country, especially in medical, technical and higher education streams. In parts of Kerala and Karnataka, it has also been used to link rural schools.
But the new project willfor the first timetest the viability of
satellite-enabled elementary education in the Hindi heartland. If it is found successful, it can be replicated in a large number of inaccessible rural schools, adding value to elementary education, said an HRD Ministry official.
The project will be run by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)the former will set up technical infrastructure while the latter will develop courses and train teachers.
The project will involve setting up a central control system at
Jabalpurs Pandit D P Mishra Institute of Information Technology, which will be connected to rural schools.
The technical apparatus to be set up in these schools will be run on solar powerteachers will be trained to operate it.
After school hours, the communication network can be used for other development activities.
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