Accelerated program for ICT development

The Education Ministry has launched a ICT program for senior and junior school students. Teaching General Information Technology in the Advanced Level classes will be strengthened and accelerated with a new national examination scheduled for August this year for Grade 12 students. Similarly, a new subject in the Ordinary Level will be introduced from January 2006 with IT as an option a release by the Ministry of education said.

With the new curriculum Revision, Computer Science and IT subjects will be introduced from grade 1 onwards. In grade 6 to 9 activity rooms and science rooms will be introduced in all Navodya and National schools from 2006 with computers and CD packs.

Similarly, primary classrooms in these schools will have "Science/Maths Corners" where ICT concepts will be introduced through special learning packages.

An extensive plan for IT development in the school system is presently being developed for implementation from 2005 - 2010. Meanwhile the ADB's Secondary Education Modernisation Project has contributed significantly towards introducing and improving ICT education in all secondary schools with IT labs.

The Ministry of Education has invited content providers from the non-government and corporate sectors to contribute towards Ministry's efforts in the preparation of teaching-learning materials in all subjects in the primary and secondary school system, using IT as a learning, the message said.