The General Education Protection Mission has received wide acceptance in society, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. With the launch of the programme, the academic standards of government and aided schools have undergone a tremendous transformation and infrastructure facilities have also improved.
Over the last three years, over five lakh new children have joined the government and aided schools. The Chief Minister was launching the hi-tech lab project for primary schools, being implemented by the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology For Education (KITE).
KITE has already transformed 45,000 classrooms to the hi-tech mode from classes eight to 12 through a project worth Rs 493 crore. The project in primary schools is a continuation of that initiative.
With the implementation of the Rs 292 crore project in 9,941 primary schools, as many as 15,000 schools from Classes one to 12 will turn hi-tech, the Chief Minister said. Over 41 lakh students will benefit from the project, Pinarayi said adding that it was the duty of parents and teachers to ensure that children make full use of the facility.
General Education Minister C Raveendranath who spoke on the occasion said with the implementation of the hi-tech lab project, Kerala is poised to become the first state in the country to be fully digital in the school education sector.
The Chief Minister later distributed awards for the best Little Kites club in the state. KITE had completed the eTender proceedings for procurement of 55,086 Laptops, USB Speakers and 23,170 Multimedia Projectors for 9941 primary schools in May, for which KIIFB has sanctioned Rs 292 crore.
The distribution of these types of equipment to the primary schools has started in the 14 District Offices of KITE and the deployment is scheduled to be complete by September, said K.Anvar Sadath, Vice Chairman and Executive Director, KITE.
The District Offices would intimate the schools on the date and time when the schools can receive their equipment. All primary schools have to sign an agreement with KITE, as mandated in the Government Order issued in this regard.
Though primary schools were slated to be made digital by June, the project has been delayed by three months. By September, primary school children will be able to access the Information for Communication Technology (ICT) tools to be deployed under the project.
