The State Government has decided to provide free smart phones to students taking admission in the first semester of graduation in the Government colleges in the State. During the current academic session 2014-15, free smart phones will be given to about 1,55,000 newly admitted students of the colleges.
This facility to students is being given to bring them at par with other developed countries’ students and introducing various communication mediums to promote e-learning in this age of globalisation. Through this, students will be able to increase their knowledge.
All domicile students of Madhya Pradesh, who take admission in graduation first semester will be benefited with the scheme. There will be no age or caste bar. Smart phone will be taken back if a student abandons studies midway or does not study regularly. The scheme will also benefit students of remote areas. This will help increase gross enrolment ratio.
Number of smart phone users in the country has increased by 33 per cent during last two years. Time of using smart phones has also increased by 20 per cent. A smart phone user in India spends average three hours a day on it. About 25 per cent users check smart phones for over 100 times a day. One-third of users’ time is spent on use of various applications of smart phone.
World of mobile computing has undergone a revolutionary change with increase of speed and expansion of network connectivity in the state and arrival of 2G, 3G and 4G. This change has been brought about by mobile applications like WhatsApp and WeChat. Smart phone has been successful in becoming a pocket learning appliance for mobile users.
Due to lack of proper wi-fi and broadband facility in offices and houses, 8 out of 10 persons use mobile broadband, 2G, 3G and 4G through smart phones. In this way, youths are using a new pocket technology in the form of smart phone.
Education sector is also not untouched by this technology, which is being used for various purposes in the sector. During recent online admission process, such an android mobile application was evolved in cooperation with NIC, which applicants obtained information about colleges on their smart phones. Students also saw online information about their admission details through mobiles.
Such smart phone applications are being evolved for aiding studies in online computing world through which students will be able to write notes through online quizzes, real-time broadcasts, e-reader, book-scan, voice recording and making notes through hearing, collection of web-clipping and other important academic works. This will help students avoid purchase of syllabus materials and getting photocopies of notes.