Correspondent
ITANAGAR, Jan 24: The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to install VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) in select government schools across the State for facilitating satellite-based education.
As a pilot project, more than 50 VSATs will be installed with the capacity of connecting more than 100 government schools in the State, said Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, who held a video conference with the Deputy Commissioners and Deputy Directors of School Education (DDSEs) on this issue recently.
He directed the DCs and DDSEs to create a dedicated classroom for virtual classes using available inventories, and urged them to extend logistic support for the commissioning of the VSATs on or before February 18.
The Chief Secretary said that the commissioning of VSATs across the government schools would be a “game-changer” in school education in Arunachal Pradesh.
“VSAT technology will enable two-way virtual communication between teachers in a central place like Itanagar and students in remotely located schools in the State. It will enhance the quality of education and help the students access better education, especially in those areas which suffer from absence or shortage of subject teachers,” Kumar said.
The Chief Secretary also informed that as of now, 300 government primary schools have been identified as ‘activity and learning centres’ for children between three and six years of age as per the New Education Policy 2020.
Accordingly, he directed the DCs and DDSEs to identify one classroom which could be converted into the activity and learning centre, while adding that the facility for the pre-primary and primary children would be extended to the rest of the schools later.
Secretary (Education) Niharika Rai, Secretary (Tax and Excise) Anirudh Saran Singh and other officials were present during the video conference.
