Developing management structure for the delivery of tele-education in rural schools

Abstract

The Primary and Secondary education in India lags behind most of the developing countries in terms of both quality and quantity. Though Gross Enrolment Ratio has increased over the years, the quality of learning has still not improved. The disparity is most prominent in rural areas. While the current teaching methods which lags in quality leads to weak understanding of concepts, the parents also may not be able to guide them properly. Moreover the girls have to travel large distance for education which demotivates them. In such a scenario, innovative methods for imparting education needs to be explored. One such method adopted is the Satellite and Advanced Multimedia Education (SAME) project for the rural areas, launched by the Karnataka state Government in association with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore & other private companies. If the quality of teaching is good, value of education improves, leading to a virtuous cycle where people demand more education and hence better schools, leading to an overall increase in the quality of education. If we are able to provide good quality education to all, it will help students to empower themselves with knowledge. This will help in generation of employment and thus, creating a strong economy. The Satellite and Advanced Multimedia Education (SAME) project, introduced in 1000+ government high schools in Karnataka State, aimed at addressing the obstacles in the present system by providing satellite-based training for primary & secondary students. Animation, graphics and other innovative multimedia platforms have been integrated with the school curriculum to help students. SAME is driven by the consortium of IIM Bangalore, Government of Karnataka and private companies – 1). Edutel - Educational content provider, delivers live video lectures with animation. 2). Gumbi Softwares - Provides all technology & software for the SAME project. 3). Opel – Human Resource provider, hires employees for execution at ground level.