PANJIM: The State Government plans to create virtual classrooms across 435 government and government-aided schools as an effort to upgrade information technology-based education. This technology will be used for teaching different subjects by experts, at one go, across all students.
In lines with Gujarat Education Department’s Vidya Sameeksha Kendra (VSK), the State government also proposes to set up a similar facility to track and monitor the performance of the students, right from Class I to XII, along with teachers’ attendance and work.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant was speaking during the launch of the Class VII Regular Curriculum Teacher’s Handbook under Coding and Robotics Education in Schools (CARES) scheme.
Sawant, who is also Minister for Education, said that government has moved a proposal before the Central government for setting up virtual classrooms across all government and government-aided schools.
“We need financial approval. Once the proposal is sanctioned, we will see that one expert from each subject, guide students across through virtual class,” he said.
He said that the government has already issued Rs 15 crore tender to supply computing devises in the schools; the work order for which would be issued shortly.
“Over 470 regular computer teachers are trained in coding and robotics. We wanted devices in place to take the scheme forward,” he said.
Justifying the decision to stop the cyberage scheme, under which laptops and tabs were provided to the school students, the Chief Minister said that post review of the scheme, it was found that the scheme had more side effects then showing any result on technology education.
The CARES scheme was introduced for students of Class VI to VIII from last academic year 2021-22 onwards. Over 60,000 students have benefited under the scheme across 435 schools.
Citing below national average performance of students in mathematics and science, Sawant said, “The government is seriously aiming to improve the school education standard.”
“The Education Department will soon be setting up Vidya Sameeksha Kendra, in order to assess the student’s performance right from nursery to higher secondary level,” he said.
Speaking about CARES scheme, the Chief Minister said, “Goa is the first State in the country to have specialised budgetary scheme for coding and robotics to take forward NEP 2020.”
He said, “The main objective behind starting this concept was to prepare the students for the demand of 21st century world and to make Goa model State for knowledge and technology hub in the country.”
