Smart Class: State second in country

SHILLONG, JUNE 3: Meghalaya chief minister. Mukul Sangma launched the ‘Smart Classroom’ at Pine Mount School on Friday as part of the observation of Digital India Week, making Meghalaya the first state in the north east and second in the country to have a smart classroom.

The Smart Classroom project was undertaken by the state government in partnership with Microsoft India to effectively implement technology in education and create an environment where students and teachers communicate, collaborate, create, access and consume content using Microsoft technology.

Meghalaya chief secretary PBO Warjri, who was the guest of honour, Commissioner & Secretary, IT department DP Wahlang, officials of Microsoft India, Neeraj Gill and Rajiv Ahlawat, Pine Mount School principal Mrs AK Diengdoh were among other dignitaries who were present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Sangma congratulated Pine Mount School for being the first in the state to participate in the “humble beginning of the state government in partnership with Microsoft”, adding that this initiative would generate more hope amongst the students. “Through this initiative we wanted to tell the world that Meghalaya is not a state that follows others but that it is capable of leading the way”, he added.

Sangma went on to say that Meghalaya was among the first states in the country which was able to put all the infrastructural requirements in place for making the state digital. “Meghalaya was the first State to come up with the EOI for the State Wide Area Network immediately as we launched the National e-Governance Program in the country; we were amongst the first few states to have the State Data Centre; and we were also amongst the first states in integrating the Common Service Centres and also one of the first to have the State portal, the State Service Delivery Gateway” he told the gathering.

Stating that empowerment of the common people with the knowledge to make use of the Digital India concept is crucial, Sangma also informed that the state went further ahead with the initiative of giving digital training programmes at the grassroots level through the common service centres. He said that children, the students being the most important section of the society and we need to ensure that they able to realize their potentialities by taking advantage of this technology.

“When we embark upon new initiatives, the resources are always a challenge. Giving the right kind of building infrastructure is invariably the prerequisite to starting such smart classrooms. But we have not been able to invest in building that kind of infrastructures as the funds given for Education department were spent more or less on salaries”, Sangma said.

Sangma, however, expressed happiness that the state has been able to impress upon the ADB and the Government of India in 2010-11, and ultimately start a beautiful programme which is specific to education – the Human Capital Development Programme, in which 30 schools were taken up for upgrading the infrastructure and the second phase has around 87 schools which are in the process of completing evaluation. He urged upon the Education department to see that the construction works for those 87 schools start in the month of September-October, “so that this initiative that we see today can be extended to all the schools”.

Sangma also commended Microsoft as smart, competent and honest partner and put across a proposal to them to have a “digital exposure programme” for a few handpicked students of at least two school of the state with other students and teachers in the US.

During the course a month-long project at Pine Mount School, Microsoft India conducted several training and mentoring classes for 105 students and eight teachers of class VIII. Using Windows-based tablets, these classes were aimed at fostering digital learning and teaching for study projects in varied subjects such as Geography, History, Biology, Physics and Chemistry. The students also showcased their learning from the program through the projects they completed using Windows-based tablets to the dignitaries and others present.– By Our Reporter