Kerala ups the digital ante. Becomes the first state in India to digitalise more than 16,000 schools

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Monday, announced that the state has become the first in the country to have hi-tech classrooms in all of its government-run schools. Vijayan made the announcement via a video conference, as part of the state's 100-days-plan announcement.

"Through this program, every child in this state will have access to modern technology right from the beginning. We are proud to announce that Kerala is the first ho-tech state in the country," said Vijayan. As part of the programme, 3,74,274 digital classrooms were set up in 16,027 schools across the state.  Hi-tech labs were set up in 11,275 schools.

The state's Minister of Education Professor C Ravindranath, Legislative Assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, Finance Minster Dr Thomas Issaac, Health Minister KK Shailaja and others also spoke at the online event. The project was accomplished with the help of Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) and the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), said Ravindranath.

"We had planned this innovation way back in 2016. We did not just distribute and installed the required gadgets, but also equipped our teachers and students to use them wisely," said Vijayan. "Previously, students were increasingly dropping ut of government-run schools, which had led to the closure of many schools. However, we could save the state's educational framework from this disaster. This government aims in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor and providing quality education to all," he added.