M.S. Phanish, Deputy Coordinator of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Hassan, told The Hindu that with the help of donors, the Government Higher Primary School, established in 1929 at Gorur, has been able to run smart classes by using solar energy for operating the projectors. Taking a cue from the system at Gorur, the Department of Public Instruction has proposed to make other government schools adopt it.
In fact, the Gorur Government Higher Primary School is the only such institution in Hassan district to conduct smart classes, in which students of class 6 and 7 are taught English grammar, Mathematics and Science.
Capt. G.R. Gopinath, who introduced low-cost airlines, who is a native of Gorur and alumni of this school, founded the Gorur Government Middle School Welfare Foundation Trust with an initial deposit of Rs. 10,000. The interest earned on the deposit has been used for conducting smart classes.
Javaraiah, head master of the school, told The Hindu on Friday, “Smart classes were inaugurated on November 10, 2014. The trust has provided solar panels, two projectors, two batteries and two screens. The Children’s Lovecastles Trust provided the study material,” he said.
Sumithra, who teaches Science, said she could notice a lot of improvement in the performance of students after the introduction of smart classes. “Now, their performance in monthly tests has improved. Students grasp and understand the subjects well as the material provided by the trust contains pictures and the topics are presented in a simple language,” she said. The State government has provided computers for many higher primary schools and upgraded them as Computer Aided Learning Centres, including 175 in Hassan district alone. However, many of them are defunct because of interruptions in power supply.
“We have sent a proposal to the State government to introduce smart classes in hobli-level government schools. As power supply is a major problem in rural areas, use of solar energy is the only option,” he said.
Except Gorur Govt. Higher Primary School, none others in Hassan district have smart classes
The system is run with two each of projectors, batteries and screens
