Kochi: Fifteen government schools in Ernakulam will turn smart by 2018-19 academic year.
Work on implementing the government’s ambitious hi-tech project has kick-started in the schools. The master plans for the select schools is being prepared by Habitat, one of the agencies entrusted by the government for the execution of the project.
C.A. Santhosh, Deputy Director of Education, Ernakulam, said that about ₹10 crore would be utilised in each school as part of the hi-tech project. Of this, the government would provide ₹5 crore. The remaining ₹5 crore would be raised through contributions from philanthropists, alumni and individuals interested in supporting the development of the schools, he said.
The master plan prepared by Habitat would provide the details of the infrastructure upgrade required in each school. IT@ School agency would prepare a report on the IT and ICT infrastructure to be implemented in the schools. It would prepare the course module to be taught in the digital classrooms. Each smart classroom would have laptops, projection facilities, broadband connection and sound system. Teachers would be given specialised training in handling classes in smart classrooms, Mr. Santhosh said.
Strengthening of the broadband network by offering internet at a higher speed would be one of the major requirements in each school. The government hopes to conduct live classrooms linking the hi-tech schools, where experts would interact with the students online.
