How would ICT impact education in your state?
In school education system, the critical component of learning is always the curriculum. However effective the design and development of curriculum, the delivery system will definitely contribute in transforming the curriculum in to learning skill.
In Puducherry (formerly known as Pondicherry), the integration of technology in teaching is being done in phased manner, as there is an attitudinal change with stakeholders of educational system which has paved the way for quick implementation. The government of Pondicherry is very keen on providing IT literacy, particularly among the rural and urban poor students studying in government school. For this, infrastructure facilities like computers, software were rolled out in schools and students were given training in operating the computers. In the second phase, precisely in 2004, SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) unit launched its novel programme of Computer Aided Learning in all Middle and High schools. The schools were supplied with digital content in local language, pertaining to class I to VIII. The curricular content of that is child centric, interactive and playful, with assessment tools. These subject materials are competency based and are used as reinforcement material by the students. The teachers are trained to use the interactive content as an effective supplement to classroom teaching. Now it is proposed to exploit the latest facilities like high speed Internet (broadband) to make each classroom arena, where all relevant information is available at the touch of the screen/keyboard.
How would you envision the SSA project replicated in other states or other educational contexts?
The designing and implementation of the existing model of computer aided learning in Puducherry is a partial replica of the model available in other parts of the world. The model could be replicable if other states take it in the same spirit.
What role does the Public Private Partnership plays in the context of the State’s school education system, especially in the SSA project?
The State has established promising partnerships with like minded institutions; mainly NGO
