GUWAHATI: State Innovation and Transformation Aayog (SITA) has proposed a pilot project in 10 government co-educational schools of the state to explore the scope for development of digital empowerment of students and teachers.
SITA adviser Mridul Hazarika presented the proposal of the pilot project at the advisory committee meeting of SITA held on Wednesday chaired by its vice-chairman Dipok Kumar Barthakur at Janata Bhawan here.
Hazarika apprised the members of the committee about the virtual meeting previously held between SITA and SMART Technologies, Canada, about the necessity to explore the possibility of reducing digital divide among students in schools of Assam and empowering teachers and students during the post-Covid situation.
“The schools in Assam, especially the vernacular schools, have not met the need in the post-Covid period due to many reasons like lack of infrastructure, poor network connectivity, economic situation, among others. So, we have proposed the pilot project in 10 government schools on development scope for digital empowerment of students and teachers in government co-educational schools with the help of SMART Technologies,” Hazarika, the former vice-chancellor of Gauhati University, told TOI, adding that if successful, the project can be extended to other government schools.
He said the objective is to develop digital infrastructure in collaboration with SMART Technologies in government schools and empower students with digital skills in the early years to face emerging challenges.
He also added that the teachers have to be empowered with digital skills to be effective in the emerging situation.
Hazarika also added that Covid has given the alert and the blended form of teaching is a must as the digital divide is very prominent in the state.
According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) (Rural) 2020, published last month, only 52.4% of government school students and 78.3% of those studying in private schools in the state have access to smartphones.
In the meeting, Siddhartha Bora, MD, AgSpert Technologies (P) Ltd., made a virtual brief presentation about a project proposal “Data driven smart agricultural solutions for indigenous farmers of North East India to grow more from less resources”, which aims to deploy artificial intelligence technological intervention in the region to enhance agricultural productivity and in-farm efficiency.
Prof Nani Gopal Mahanta, director, Centre for South-East Asian Studies, Gauhati University, delivered a presentation on the progress of the study after signing MoA with SITA on ‘Northeast India’s connection with South East Asia-the historial and civilization link’.