Uttarakhand Education and Water Resources Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani launched the CISCO e-connect programme by distributing laptops to the schoolchildren on Saturday. In the first phase, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhyalya and Aavasiya Vidyalaya have been included in the pilot project. It is learnt that the schools, under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), are taking care of the underprivileged children, proving them with educational and residential facilities.
In his address, Naithani said that the schools selected were not technically sound. He expressed hope that e-connect programme would go a long way in making the students tech-savvy. He also asked the students selected thus to share their experiences with others.
Additional chief secretary (school education) Dr Ranbir Singh, secretary primary education Vinod Sharma, additional secretary Ranjana, project director SSA and education department officials were present on the occasion.
Rajiv Berry, former chairman, CII Uttarakhand State Council & Partner, Anand Industries, said that the project will go a long way in impacting the lives of the children by bringing the world closer and opening doors to a number of opportunities. He committed CII and the CII Foundation’s continued involvement and support towards the development of the state.
The project, funded by CISCO India and managed by CII Foundation, aims to bridge the digital gap by providing e-literacy to the students for whom access to such infrastructure and technology has been a challenge.
The programme is currently being piloted in 25 schools across three states – Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand- e-connecting over 7000 school children. Through the programme, the schools are being provided with laptops and internet connection. The students are being given basic computer training through the Get Connected Programme which is being provided by the CISCO Networking Academy.