The State Government that claims to be committed to provide quality education, seems to be little worried about promoting the ambitious edusat study programme that was launched in 2010 aiming at supplementing the conventional way of teaching in Government run higher educational institutions /degree colleges/post graduate colleges in Uttarakhand.
The matter of fact is that out of over 70 degree/ post graduate colleges across the hill State, only about 26 degree colleges are enabled to conduct lectures properly under the State-of- the-art edusat study programme presently across the State.
Although a total 42 degree colleges are connected with satellite interactive terminal centres, yet only 26 degree colleges are running properly under this much-talked about edusat study programme as the officials concerned informed.
The primary objective of running the edusat study programme in Uttarakhand was to guide the students particularly the undergraduate/ graduate students of those colleges where there is shortage of teaching staff in far and remote areas of the hill State.
But on account of poor infrastructural facilities in the higher educational institutions in remote areas, students of these areas continue to suffer, as the local here complain.
However, as evident from the fact that only over two dozen degree colleges are up to date to give important lessons to the students, so poor infrastructural facilities seems to be major concerns in running the edusat study programme here in the hill State.
The matter of fact is that most of the colleges don’t have their buildings or lands to construct the basic infrastructure, said l P Varma, in charge of edusat study programme, MB PG College, Haldwani, while talking to The Pioneer.
That is why the edusat study programme has not been implemented as effectively as expected. However, a total 53 degree colleges are identified to cover under this edusat programme ahead. Hopefully things will fall in place in due course of time, added Varma.
It is to note that the State government had charted out a plan to connect as many as degree and post graduate colleges with the ambitious education through satellite system when it launched the same about three years back.
But lack of required preparations in terms of basic infrastructure only hampered the much talked about the modern way of teaching in higher educational institutions. Had the degree colleges been provided the basic infrastructure on time, perhaps all the existing degree and post graduate colleges could have been covered under the said programme much earlier even in far flung areas of the hill State, maintained experts here.
The salient features of this edusat study programme is that the students not only get valuable notes from experts, attending lectures but also simultaneously interact with the lecturers to get more insight into the subject.