4,000 schools to go digital

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/4000-schools-to-go-digital/article19355074.ece

Chief Minister launches Vidyavaani project in Vijayawada

The 97-year-old C.V.R. Municipal High School in the city has another feather in its cap, the virtual classroom studio from where higher secondary students in 62 classrooms of 28 municipal schools of the city could be delivered lessons in a most effective and interactive way.

The school has already been the destination for the successful Advanced Foundation Course (AFC) through which meritorious high school students are being trained for SSC and competitive examinations.

Under the project named as Vidyavaani, 62 classrooms in all the municipal high schools have been turned into digital classrooms.

They are equipped with screens, projectors and computers -- all connected to a cloud interactive module.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday inaugurated the project and interacted with students and teachers of all the 28 schools through the virtual classroom interaction programme.

Later, addressing the gathering of students in the school premises, Mr. Naidu asked students and teachers to make use of the programme to excel in examinations.

“The impact of learning through visual presentations, 3D models and other innovative ways will be three to four times more on the students compared to the normal classroom teaching. It will be easy for them to recall the concepts. Also, even if students miss a class they can view the lesson at their home and attend next class without lagging behind,” Mr. Naidu said.

‘Opportunity for teachers’

“This is a great opportunity for teachers who can enhance their capabilities using the creative content provided in the studio. Also, students can become self-teachers and self evaluate their knowledge,” the Chief Minister said.

The government had engaged 100 racks in the ‘Pi’ data centre that would come up in Mangalagiri on July 28 for cloud management purposes, he added.

He said tenders had been called to establish digital classrooms in 4,000 municipal and government schools across the State and the contract would be awarded soon. “Probably this is the first of its kind initiative in government schools in the country,” he said.