Over 6,000 high and higher secondary government schools in the State will get hi-tech labs under the centrally-sponsored Information and Communication Technology (ICT) scheme.
The Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation has floated a tender, calling for the supply, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of these labs in 3,090 government high schools and 2,939 government higher secondary schools in the State.
An official with the School Education Department said that the focus would initially be on high and higher secondary schools to enable the smooth implementation of the ICT aspects of the revised syllabus for the students. "Since there are several technical specifications with regard to the technology involved in the working of these labs, a technical team has been set up, and is reviewing the process carefully,” he added.
The advanced labs in the high and higher secondary schools will be equipped with computers, printers, tablets and projectors as well as Internet connectivity.
A command and control centre would also be set up, which would monitor and manage the functioning of the IT components of the labs.
‘Need of the hour’
“In order to effectively implement the new syllabus, smart classrooms or hi-tech labs to equip schools is the need of the hour. There are a lot of interesting activities prescribed in the textbook as well as digital resources, which teachers would like to access in the school for the students,” said P.K. Ilamaran from the Tamil Nadu Teachers Association.
While the State had announced that schools would get 3,000 smart classrooms, Mr. Ilamaran said that the teachers association had appealed to the School Education Department to ensure that every school got at least one smart classroom at the earliest. “Many schools are still waiting for such facilities,” he added.
As a part of the revised syllabus for classes I, VI, IX and XI in the current academic year, students have several ICT components and activities in their text material. The new syllabus, which was released by the State Council for Educational Research and Training(SCERT), discussed the need to bring in ICT to make learning more enjoyable for the students as well as to enable them to comprehend difficult concepts, develop critical thinking skills and a technological aptitude.
“While the move to set up labs in government schools is a good one, enough thought should be given to how teachers are going to be trained, as well as how students are going to be oriented on how to effectively use the technology given to them. With several schools grappling with existing infrastructure, these factors should be taken into account for the success of initiatives such as hi-tech labs or smart classrooms in the long run,” said K.R. Maalathi, CEO, Auuro educational services.
