BANGALORE, Sept 12: The on-line information bug seems to have caught even the state government. Perhaps for the first time in the country, the Karnataka government is creating an On-line Comprehensive Education Management Information system to provide the Education Department with the latest information of all schools in order to facilitate their planning.On the completion of the project, all an official has to do to get information is, to log in to the computer, enter the name of the area and within seconds the complete data of all schools will appear on the screen.This information system is being created with the assistance of UNICEF and the National Information Centre (NIC) of the Government of India. While the UNICEF will provide an initial monetary assistance for the project, the NIC will give the requisite software for the information system network and the State Government will implement the project.The system which will network all schools, both government and private in the State, wouldformulate a data base to include factors such as the location, the enrolled and dropout percentage of students in schools of each block, taluk and district.It will also formulate details relating to school personnel including staff deployment to fill vacancies and salaries and also evaluate the performance of teachers and their improvement on the job. According to Secretary II of the Education Department, Sanjay Kaul who is actively involved in the project, the objective is to help the State Government in planning at all levels, providing a clear picture of the working of schools, identification of enrollment and dropout trends and areas of training for teachers.He said the on-line information system would help the State in the immediate rectification of errors and redressal of problems. ``Presently, surveys in the Education Department are conducted once in seven years which obviously does not provide us with the latest data. With this network, the government can act immediately. For example, if ateacher retires, we can fill his post by simply accessing information on the computer and finding a suitable replacement. This will not only reduce paperwork but also keep the government abreast of the changes in the Education Department. It will also give us a feedback on the actual size of problem of education in rural areas,'' he said. The project is expected to be completed by January 1998. However, it would be implemented on an experimental basis in two districts in the coming few months to test run the software.Sanjay Kaul said the government would not purchase any new computers but only update them to include the new software.``No additional personnel would be appointed but the existing staff would be trained to use the new software,'' he added.
