Unhappy with implementation of the Satellite and Advanced Multimedia Education (SAME), the tele-education programme in government schools, the State government has decided to conduct a third-party evaluation of the project.
The decision was taken after a review of the project by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday. The project was rolled out in 1,000 schools in November 2014 and is run by a consortium led by the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru.
Sources, who attended the meeting, pointed out that only 281 schools have internet connectivity, which is affecting implementation of the project.
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The total cost of the project is ₹85 crore and the government has already released ₹38 crore. Although the project was supposed to be rolled out in an additional 1,000 schools, it was stalled by the government, as officials had sought an explanation from those implementing the project.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait said that there is a need for an independent evaluation, as there are several hurdles to the implementation of the project. “This includes broadband connectivity as well as concerns about ownership of the content,” he said.
Professor Gopal Naik of IIMB, who heads the project, said that establishing internet connectivity is the responsibility of the government, as per the Memorandum of Understanding. He also said that he hoped that the project would be rolled out in an additional 1,000 schools after the evaluation is completed.
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