Coming soon: Virtual classrooms

Updated on: Wednesday, September 21, 2011

In a bid to ensure that students from rural areas are not deprived of quality education, the school education department has set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which will enable video-conferencing throughout Maharashtra. Initially, education offices across the state will be connected via the network. At later stages, students will benefit as lectures from one centre will be relayed across the state, even to the remotest areas.

The video-conferencing facility was inaugurated on Tuesday in the presence of school education minister Rajendra Darda. The network was designed and developed by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT). “The department has been trying to put together the system for four months now and finally it has accomplished its goal,” said Darda.

The state government has spent around Rs 19.5 crore to set up the system to improve the quality of education. The VPN connects 448 locations across the state. These include 351 block resource centres and 48 urban resource centres. It also links offices of deputy directors and government offices.

Video-conferencing will help in broadcasting lectures to various locations, including remote locations like Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Nandurbar. Informal education agencies like museums and arts and science centres can also be brought into the classrooms. “Students who are stressed due to exams or those who failed to perform well could be counselled by doctors or experts,” said an official. The system will also help in enhancing teacher training programmes in the state. The minister on Tuesday communicated with eight centres across the state. The state has distributed 60 000 water filters to schools across the state.

Coming soon: Virtual classrooms

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