Plan to set up high-tech classes by using KIIFB money

Thiruvananthapuram: IT@school will be turned into a special purpose vehicle Kerala Infrastructure and IT@school Company for sourcing money through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for converting classrooms in high schools and higher secondary schools into high-tech. For the purpose, it will avail loans through KIIFB, which set up as an extra-budgetary source for mobilising funds for capital investment. These funds would not be routed through a government entity as it would overshoot limits set for public borrowing.

An amount of Rs 500 crore has been set apart for the project to convert all classrooms from standard 8 to 12 - 45,000 classrooms and IT labs in 4,775 in 2,685 high schools, 1,701 higher secondary schools and 389 vocational higher secondary schools. Education minister C. Raveendranath would have to step down from the chairmanship of the executive committee of IT@school once the SPV is formed. General education secretary Usha Titus will become its chairperson and managing director.

The executive committee will be replaced by a board of directors once the company is formed. DPI K. Mohankumar and the present IT@school executive director K. Anvar Sadath will be on the board. Apart from continuing as the executive director, Mr Sadath will also be made its vice-chairman. The government would have the powers to nominate experts from various fields to its executive committee.