Free tablets for 50,000 school teachers and principals

In a bid to reduce non-teaching burden, the Delhi government has decided to provide tablet computers to them under its ambitious plan.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, has directed the officials of the department to prepare a proposal to buy tablet computers for around 50,000 teachers and principals of the 1,024 government schools in the national capital.

In next two months, distribution of tablet computers to teachers will start, sources said, adding that it will cost the exchequer a burden of about Rs 50 crore. As per the plan, the teachers will mark the attendance of students through android tablet computers and automatically a message will be sent to student’s parents ascertaining that their wards have attended the classes.

Atishi Marlena, adviser to Mr Sisodia, said in the second phase, teachers will not be required to enter students’ marks in the report cards, instead they can do the same on their tablets which will reduce their non-teaching work. She said that the government will also give Internet facility on these tablet computers. “Most teachers complain that they cannot give more time for teaching as they are engaged in data entry or management works like maintenance of attendance registers, preparation of students’ report cards, etc,” Ms Marlena said.

In view of this, we have decided to give tablets to the teachers of all government schools. The education and information technology department have been directed to work on the modalities of the project,” Ms Atishi Marlena added.

She said that the government will provide Internet data card to the teachers so that they could do the required work online also. The Delhi government will also impart training to the teachers, besides syllabus training, she added.

Asked if the project has got the Cabinet’s nod, she said there was no need as the state education department has a separate budget for all such projects.