Chhattisgarh
Going beyond ‘last mile connectivity’

The Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled Services (ITeS) policy in Chhattisgarh announces that it would make computer education compulsory in schools and colleges in phased manner. Information Technology will be used in school education in two distinct segments: Computer literacy and skills in information technology; Use of IT to enhance the effectiveness of teaching in other subjects.

Apart from this, the Education department will make IT education compulsory from class VI, covering all students from class VI level to degree level in a phased manner.

Gyan Vinimay and e-Classrooms’: Chhhattisgarh is the first state to create state of the art virtual classrooms for the Government Engineering colleges. Connection between two classrooms in the State at Engineering College Raipur & Department of IT, University of Bilaspur to IIT Kanpur has already been Established with a further hope of eClassrooms helping in up scaling the knowledge base.

Indira Soochna Shakti Yojana launched for providing free information technology education for girls belonging to poor families studying in government high schools and higher secondary schools. It is the first scheme of its kind which cuts across caste and community lines.

Chhattisgarh State has organised some Distance Education related activities at the elementary level under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Construction of Digital Audio Studio in State Council of Education, Research and Training (SCERT), training of teachers to conduct interactive radio classrooms, training of untrained teachers through interaction with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Education Department introducing video-conferencing for regular review, “reinventingeducation.org”, the website developed to help the educational planners & administrators preparing various projects, developing audio CDs for blind, touch-screen computers in schools are some such activities making SSA programme quite effective in the state.

Radio instruction - dot-EDU

The state government has implemen-ted an EDC-developed interactive radio instruction initiative (IRI) to reach approximately one million children. The work is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented with numerous NGO and government partners. The Technology Tools for Teaching and Training (T4) programme works to produce and deliver quality education, notably for girls and other vulnerable populations.

Simputers in school education

PicoPeta’s Simputer, a completely indigenously developed hand held computing device has been used in a project that involved education of tribals in Chhattisgarh.

Critical indicators for education in order of not to remain low, quality of school education is focussed upon in the State. English language is being taught from class 1. The ban on recruitment of teachers in rural schools is lifted. Government finalises the rules and guidelines for the recruitment of teachers on contract. Taking the sprit of decentralisation further, village panchayats are empowered to select teachers and to enter in to contract with them.

Dr Alok Shukla, Secretary, School Education, Chhattisgarh speaking exclusively to Digital Learning on the progress the state has made so far in school education with a focus on integration of ICT



 Can you discuss the vision and the major thrust of current education policy in the state of Chhattishgarh?

Chhattisgarh has shown healthy improvement in its literacy rate over the last decade and has achieved a literacy rate of 65.18%. The female literacy rate has shown remarkable improvement and has almost doubled in the same period, the male literacy is higher than the national average. Chhattisgarh is committed to its agenda of imparting education to all and has allocated a significant share of its plan outlay for this sector. Plan outlay for the social sector at 15% for Chhattisgarh compares favourably to 7% for all India figures. Chhattisgarh has already introduced teaching of English from Class 1.

 What is the current strategy adopted to make ICT an integral part of the educational system in the state?

We have many schemes for using IT in education. Under SSA we have started a scheme called “Eklavya Computer aided self learning”. In this scheme fully animated multi-media software has been created based on textbooks of classes 6 to 8. This has been loaded on touch screen computers, and has been kept in the school corridors for easy access by children. Under Indira Soochna Shakti Scheme, free computer education is being given to more than one lakh girl students at secondary level with the help of NIIT. Interactive radio broadcast is being used for teaching-learning of English language at primary level. We have already started using the facility provided by EDUSAT in 50 schools in Koria district. We intend to extend it further to other districts.

 How best the scope of using ICTs in state education can be harnessed?

We feel that in modern times ICT has become a necessary tool for education. Knowledge of ICT itself should be imparted in all schools. Computer literacy has become as important as any other form of education. ICT should also be used for teaching of other subjects. ICT can be used for training and teaching through distance mode.

 While implementing the innovative education programmes do you think Chhattishgarh ever needs a state specific vision other than the guidelines provided by the center?

Every state must have its own vision depending on the local situation. In Chhattisgarh we are committed to use ICT more and more at every level for improving both quality and outreach of education.

 Any remarkable change or development in the elementary and college/university level of education?

Sustainable change is always a slow process. We are gradually moving towards a knowledge society. Apart from the schemes described above we have introduced e-Classroom in Government Engineering College Raipur, and Telemedicine in Government Medical College Raipur.

 How improved is a teacher-training facility in Chhattisgarh with which imparting ICT enabled education becomes easier?

Teacher training facilities are still in their infancy in Chhattisgarh. We have an ICT cell in SCERT that is responsible for ICT related activities.

 Would you like to give a view on education activities being carried out through the delivery capabilities of partnership programmes?

We are in favor of Public-Private and Public-Civil Society partnerships. We are willing to explore possibilities in both these fields.

 What are the major hurdles faced in this direction so far and the challenges ahead for the state?

Poor last mile connectivity and shortage of funds are the main constraints. The challenge is to find innovative and alternative methods of overcoming the constraints.