The Department of Education (DoE) has directed Regional Education Directorates (REDs) and District Education Offices (DEOs) to make preparations for installation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in community schools across the country.

A meeting of ‘Directive Committee for the use of ICT in education’ held on October 7 had decided to direct RED and DEOs to conduct various activities for the installation of ICT devices in community schools.

The government plans to install ICT in community schools by the end of this fiscal. It has allocated Rs 1 billion for providing community-based secondary schools with facilities of ICT devices such as computers, printers and internet service in selected areas.

Laba Dev Awasthi, DOE director-general, said schools will receive the allocated budget after management of readiness checklist such as specification, server, digitised contents, connectivity, alternative energy supply and teachers’ management.

He said, “Schools f ulfilling the ICT criteria mentioned in the plan will receive the budget for IT devices.”

He stated that a focal person to be appointed in every DEO will look after ICT in education, school mapping and other IT-related activities and correspond with the development to DoE too.

Under the ICT plan, each secondary school will get five computers, one printer and will also be connected with the internet. At present, 34,782 community schools have been operating across the country. Out of them, 8, 711 are secondary schools.Bal Ram Timilsina, DoE deputy director, said since budget for the ICT plan is quite huge, there are chances of having ICT coverage in all secondary schools.

source: the himalayan times,22 oct 2013