IT for remote sector schools in next six months

by Ananda Kannangara

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said the Government's assurance of expanding the facility of Information Technology for the rural and remote sector in the country will become a reality with the providing of computers to 500,000 schoolchildren during the next six months.

The Minister was addressing a Zonal Education meeting held at the Education Ministry Auditorium on Friday in Battaramulla. The Dialog Telecom PLC distributed 250 satellite reception and television sets to school principals in nine provinces, including the North and the East.

Minister Premajayantha said the Nenasa Dialog TV program was launched in July last year from a remote village in Moneragala and currently the children in 100 schools are benefited with this digital satellite television broadcast medium.

"We have taken steps to make this digital broadcast medium to another 900 schools within the next few months," he said.

The Minister also said the Government has a firm objective of improving the knowledge of IT and English Language education of rural and remote children, considering that these children too will be given an opportunity to be the future partners of the globalised world.

Talking on the Digital Technology based education, currently practised in many developed countries, the Minister said that it will soon be initiated in the Sri Lankan education system too for the benefit of 4.3 million schoolchildren.