C for Computer

A teacher training programme promotes homegrown education aids in small-town Uttaranchal

FOR a state that is still learning to tell the difference between a mouse and a keypad, the wiring is all-correct. Uttaranchal may have incorporated computers in the senior secondary school curriculum for government schools in as late as 2003, but it has shown a remarkable tendency to hit the right keys.

Government schoolteachers, equipped with training in basic computer skills through a public- private partnership, have taken the lead in creating an exciting new curriculum for their students. The results: CDs of chemistry periodical tables that talk and software that addresses national problems like AIDS through a localised approach.

8220;Since 2003, each senior secondary or intercollege school has been given two to four computers. We classify schools in two categories: those that have roads leading to them and those that don8217;t. For the second category, electricity is the biggest problem,8217;8217; says education secretary S K Maheshwari.

To fight the unavailability8212;or unreliability8212;of electricity, schools in the more remote areas have come up with generators that run on kerosene, rather than diesel, which is available only in scattered petrol pumps.

Policymakers worked out early that in training, a cascade effect8212;that is, one trained teacher training others8212;would work. In December 2003, the state government tied up with Microsoft for computer training for school teachers, who went on to train others. Eventually, the global giant worked with more than 5,800 teachers and 2,722 master trainers.

8220;Under the Shiksha project, we are collaborating with several state governments for teacher8217;s training. Uttaranchal has emerged as the most progressive state in India in terms of IT penetration in schools. The integration of IT in the school curricula here has strongly impacted the traditional classroom learning experience, making it more innovative and interesting,8217;8217; says Microsoft Public Head Rohit Kumar.

USING their computer skills, teachers in the state are augmenting their teaching through interactive CDs. Savitri Dugtal, a biology teacher in a school in Bhimtal, has created CDs that display the human anatomy. By clicking on any part of the body, the student gets the lowdown on the intricacies of that organ. Audio inputs, recorded by family members, further help the learning process.

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The tedious periodic table has been simplified by Manisha Aggarwal, a chemistry teacher. Click on any element in the table and windows open up to show the physical appearance, use and occurrence of the element. A simple thing like displaying the colour of a element, Aggarwal believes, helps greatly in memory and retention.

Mathematics and physics teacher G C Khandpal, however, decided to experiment with possibilities beyond straightforward education. 8220;A local police officer in the city died in a car accident, just because he was not wearing a seatbelt. It struck me that many of my students did not know about seatbelts, so I decided to make computer CDs on traffic safety,8217;8217; Khandpal says.

That was just the beginning. He went on to create CDs on AIDS awareness, based on facts and his own observations in the state. The results: kitschy CDs that challenge traditional information.

With the success of the first phase, the government plans to introduce computers at middle school levels as well. 8220;Apart from empowering teachers, it has boosted student retention as well. We will ultimately digitise curriculum in all classes, as students love it,8217;8217; Maheshwari says.