Chennai: Government Schools to Get 100 Mbps Internet Connection

Chennai: All government schools, starting from the primary to higher secondary level, would be provided with 100 Mbps internet connections with the help of the public sector BSNL in the coming academic year, starting in June, with a view to providing a better learning experience to students and also equipping them to face the future in the hi-tech world.

An official press release on Wednesday said that the modern facility had already been set up in 5907 of the total 6023 higher secondary and high schools, 3267 of the total 6992 middle schools and 8711 of the 24,338 primary schools in the State and the rest of the 19,668 schools would be equipped with 10 Mbps internet connection by May end.

The State government that was keen on expanding technology to schools had already set up 8,180 hi-tech labs at a cost of Rs 519.73 crore and 22, 931 smart classrooms, costing Rs 455.32 crore benefitting 46,12,742 students, the release said, adding that those schools were getting 5 to 6 Mbps internet connection.

Now, by June all the schools would get the 100 Mpbs connection and be equipped with the labs that would go a long way in preparing the students to face the developing technological world and making education easy and enjoyable for them.

The ushering in of digital technology in education would help over 46 lakh students to learn their lessons through videos, assess their own learnings online, develop their computer applications skills, improve their English language skills and get career guidance, among other things.

Also all government school students enrolling for higher education courses would receive Rs 1000 as assistance from June. Hitherto, only girls who studied from Class VI to XII in government schools were getting the assistance but now it has been extended to male students, too.

Announcing that the male students would get the assistance from the coming academic year at a ‘Kalluri Kanavu’ (College Dreams) event organized in Chennai as part of the Chief Minister’s ambitious ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena said four more such events would be held in the coming days at different places to cover all the districts.

The Chennai event was for students who had passed higher secondary education in the districts of Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Nagapattinam, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Salem. The rest of the events would be on May 9, 10, 11 and 13, he said.