Along the lines of the ‘one laptop per child (OLPC)’ movement by Nicholas Negroponte, Kerala’s information technology program for schools is aiming at a target of one laptop per school (OLPS), reported the Hindu.
The project is being undertaken by Kerala’s IT@school programme. The project aims to provide computer education to government school students to improve conventional learning systems and also to train teachers to use computers as an educational tool. Kerala’s educational planners prefer laptops for its ease of installation and lower power requirements.
According to Kerala government’s official website, there are 996 aided schools, 1,407 unaided schools and 374 Panchayath schools in Kerala. The Website reports that Kerala is the first state in India to conduct compulsory IT theory and practical examination in secondary school leaving certificate (SSLC) examination for 470,000 children.
The government has issued nearly 40,000 computers to the schools. The website states that the project has developed its own OS in Linux in association with Free Software foundation called IT@School Linux as proprietary software was far too expensive. Nearly 60,000 teachers were trained in IT.
However, the implementation of the project may not be a cakewalk as there could be major obstacles posed by limitations in infrastructure. Kerala schools are being projected as possessing better physical and basic facilities compared with other states in India. According to an online directory of schools in Kerala , nearly 83% of schools are housed in proper buildings, 84% of government schools have drinking water facilities and 85% have urinal/latrine facilities.
If these statistics are to be believed, more than 15% of the schools in Kerala are not housed in proper buildings and may not have the facilities to store laptops. It is also not sure if these schools have electricity. Nearly the same percentage of schools lack drinking water facilities and urinal/latrine facilities. On second thoughts, the government may need to channel more funds to provide the children with basic amenities as they wait for laptops. X |