REI Programmes Under Implementation

The following interventions under ICT and non-ICT streams are being implemented in the state in partnership with organisations from private and development sectors. The REI invites interested parties to join forces in one or more programmes of interest to them and of relevance.

ICT Interventions

• Project GRACE (Girls of Rajasthan and Computer Education) – Under the ICT@Schools programme of the Government of India for 170 senior secondary girls’ schools of educationally backward blocks of the State. Partnerships can be evolved for expanding the programme to cover maximum areas in the state.

• District Computer Training Centres – In each of the 32 District headquarters where the lab of about 30-40 computers are available. There is a need to utilize these centers in a Public Private Partnership model and to generate a revenue stream that can enhance their potential in a commercial manner.

• Computer-Aided Learning Programme (CALP) – The programme was started in the year 2004-05 and to-date 1134 Upper Primary Schools have been covered. Under the programme, a set of three computers, one printer and a UPS along with furniture are being provided in the schools. Solar photo voltaic systems are also being provided to sort out the electricity problems.

The objective has been to provide interactive, self paced and joyful learning opportunities through education software that is specifically designed by the Azim Premji Foundation for this purpose. This will attract, engage and retain children in the school. Support is invited for expanding the programme beyond the current schools.

Looking to the large number of schools it is not possible for the Government to provide hardware and other infrastructure to all the schools at once. Support is invited from the private partners to come forward and provide the hardware and other infrastructure to cover maximum numbers.

It is to be highlighted that out of 1,134 CALP schools, 84 schools have only 2 computers. Similarly, 355 schools have no printer. Interested donors may come forward to provide the necessary hardware to these schools.

• EDUSAT – The project has been implemented with the help of ISRO. HUB has been established at IGPRS and teaching end studio at Shiksha Sankul, Jaipur. 44 SITs and 13 ROTs have been established so far covering 30 DIETs, 9 CTEs, 1 SIERT, 2 IASE, 1 COMMISIONARATE Elementary Education and 1 Shiksha Sankul, Jaipur. The ROTs have been established at various Deputy Directors’ offices of Elementary and Secondary Education. 1 SIT is to be installed at State Open University in Jaipur.

Support is required for the following:

• For development of content for the students;
• For utilization of the Edusat for teacher training;
• For providing technical manpower to sort out operational and maintenance problems
• For furnishing of the student SITs.

• Teacher Training Technology Academies – Partnership with world-class ICT companies for effective skill upgrade for teachers is already in place and can be expanded to cover all the teachers in the State.

• Departmental Computerization – All field level offices down to block level to be computerized. Support is required for data management and connectivity solutions and for ensuring that the ICTs installed are used effectively.

User Departments

• Elementary Education
• Secondary Education
• DPEP/SSA (Nodal Agency)
• Language & Library
• Sanskrit Education
• Literacy and Continuous Education
• SIERT, Udaipur
• ET Cell, Ajmer

Non-ICT Interventions

The REI believes that apart from technology interventions, there shall be a clear focus on other aspects of schooling involving social responsibility commitments to help the underprivileged and deprived children gain access to the unlimited advantages of education that are often taken for granted by other children placed in more advantageous positions in life.  This human concern for the welfare of such children is perhaps the single most distinguishing feature of the REI.

Some of the programmes under implementation include:

• Learning Skills Development – Whereas access has been provided to a large extent and the question of teacher recruitment has been substantially addressed, the real issue is now that of the learning skills and competencies of the child.  Effective competency development programmes with verifiable standards have to be put in place, especially in far flung areas of the State.  This problem is, in fact, more acute in areas of the State inhabited by disadvantaged societies and also among some sections of the socially backward population.  The MoU is already in place with the Azim Premji Foundation and the Hole in the Wall Education Ltd., a subsidiary of NIIT.

• Adoption of Schools – Adoption of schools for both capital cost by way of construction and recurring cost for management has been proposed by the Education Department.  A MoU model to cater to the individual adoption pattern of potential donors has already been put in place.  There is much scope for the corporate sector to accept this programme

• Scholarships for Indigent Children – Many foundations and charitable organisations are coming forward to provide stipend for indigent and bright, children to pursue their studies. 

• Mid-day Meals Programme – Improving the quality of the mid-day meals offered to enhance nutrition and to attract more children to come to school for the meals.  There is a viability gap between current levels of provisioning by the Government of India and the State Government towards this programme and the actual requirement of a quality meal with adequate calorific value. 

• Children with Special Needs – Although there is a funding within the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan for this purpose, there is still much that needs to be done. More voluntary organisations are needed to carry out work in this sector.  The State Government has announced the provision of scholarships to all girl children with disabilities in classes IX to XII.  There is unlimited potential to take this programme further.

• Health and Sanitation – Within the overall framework of the Total Sanitation Campaign, an ambitious programme has been taken up for providing over 40,000 schools with water and sanitation facilities within the next three years with the active involvement of the State Public Health Engineering Department and the UNICEF.

Cross-Cutting Issues

• Teacher Training – It is an undisputed fact that the only real way to improve quality of education in schools is to have well-qualified and motivated teachers with periodic training for skill upgradation.  Such training programmes should equip them to be competent to accept technological changes in teaching methodology and also improvement in pedagogical competencies.  MoUs have been signed with Microsoft, Intel and Cisco.

• Curriculum – Along with the increasing deployment of ICTs in schools, the need for introduction of Computer-Aided Learning Programmes has become apparent.  There is an on-going debate concerning the kind and quality of e-curriculum that is required for adoption in schools.  The curriculum has to be tailored to the specific needs of the educational system of the State while enabling children to understand concepts and important basic instructional inputs that will have a long-lasting impact on the mental growth of the student.

• Infrastructure – There are funds available for the creation of infrastructure for schools in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which are not adequate for meeting the demands at the elementary and secondary levels of education.