IT@school from HSC

Thiruvanathapuram: From the 2014-15 academic year, IT@school project will be extended to higher secondary classes. In the concept note prepared by DPI Biju Prabhakar on extending the project to the plus two level, he said that there was a need to appoint teachers specifically to coordinate IT enabled education. This was because he felt that engaging teachers of other subjects for IT enabled education like that in high schools would not yield results.

The plan was to introduce the scheme to plus one class from the next academic year and to the plus two class the subsequent academic year. Biju Prabhakar, in the concept note submitted to the curriculum committee, has proposed an advanced skill acquisition and development programme apart from IT education.

He wanted the education department to have tie ups with private firms and government organisations for the skill acquisition and development programme. This programme should be devised in such a way that it would upgrade skills to the level needed by industry.

However, Prabhajar has suggested that IT education should be made an optional subject for classes one to six. IT education should be made a compulsory subject from class VIII only.

The text book for class VIII should be introduced in that class and the present IT text books for class IX and X should be introduced for class VIII and IX respectively, he felt.