All govt schools to get ‘smarter’ by June

Come June, all govt schools in Madurai and Trichy will get smart boards with full-time internet connectivity, providing students and teachers access to quality online learning materials comparable to private schools. More than 90% of work is over on hi-tech labs and smart classrooms, say education department officials. Teachers hope that the tech infrastructure boost will encourage more parents to choose govt schools for their wards.
Although some govt schools already have internet connectivity at private cost, steps have now been taken to integrate and provide connectivity through BSNL for all govt schools. "All middle schools will also be getting hi-tech labs with separate computers based on strength. Earlier, only high and higher secondary schools had such labs" said Madurai district chief education officer A Renuka. "All primary schools will have classrooms with smart boards," she told TOI. In Madurai, 291 middle, high, and higher secondary schools are getting new hi-tech labs, apart from 184 existing ones. Based on student strength, 784 smart boards are set up in 744 govt primary schools.
In Trichy, over 1,000 primary, high schools, and higher secondary schools across 16 blocks in Musiri and Trichy educational districts are to be equipped with smart boards and internet connectivity. Plans are afoot to set up new labs in more than 200 middle schools in the district. Both the smart classrooms and hi-tech labs are planned with special focus on rural areas. The hi-tech labs are equipped with 10 computers each.
Students, teachers, and parents have welcomed the initiative. "Smart boards have already been installed in 85% of these 1,000 schools, while installation of hi-tech labs in middle and high schools is in full swing, with 75% of the work complete," an official told TOI. "The equipment has already arrived, and a hi-tech administrator has been appointed for operations. This initiative acknowledges the need to equip students for an evolving technological landscape," said John Saral J, headmistress of the middle school in Thiruverumbur.
M Thennavan, headmaster, Panchayat Union Middle School, LKP Nagar, Madurai, said hi-tech labs in middle schools encourage independent learning from a young age. "Children are able to learn interactively through touch and make connections. Showing and telling is also more effective to teach students," he said.
K Maliga, headmistress of an elementary school in Karumandapam, Trichy, said smart boards have made a huge difference in how children learn. "Concepts that were once difficult to explain are now easier to demonstrate with visuals and videos. It has made classrooms more engaging for students and teaching more effective for us," she added.