HIGH-QUALITY education is the gateway to opportunity. It has the potential to fire up young minds and the power to make dreams come true. Learning processes are being drastically reshaped by technology and this, in turn, is producing far more effective outcomes, turning out well-rounded independent-thinking students with wider horizons.
Eager to give students the tech advantage, the Tamil Nadu government, in collaboration with L&T, has pioneered the establishment of high-tech, connected computer labs in over 6,000 schools across 32 districts in the state.
Ambitious Goals
The project was a part of the centrally sponsored Information and Communication Technology scheme (ICT). The Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation was tasked with the execution of this project and L&T’s Smart World & Communication vertical was chosen as technology partner. L&T’s ability to deliver the technological infrastructure necessary for this initiative to succeed was the key to reshaping the education landscape in the 32 districts in which the project was rolled out.
The key infrastructure was created by L&T: in some cases, it was created right from the scratch. Computers were set up, connectivity was established in the form dedicated leased line Internet, and a smart connected system of thin clients, printers, projectors and online UPS. To ensure that content could be accessed offline, dedicated education content management servers were put in place. L&T ensured that all systems ran smoothly and delivered the intended learning outcomes.
To achieve this, L&T set up a centralised control centre to monitor, provision and manage IT components at all the schools remotely. Real-time status and diagnostic reports give insights into whether everything is running smoothly, and flag problems that could be fixed remotely. Through the control centre, L&T set up helpdesk functionality accessible through IP-based contact centre solutions, e-mail and web-based applications.
Despite the challenges of setting up all this connected infrastructure, even in remote areas, the project has been completed in just about a year.
Impacting the Future
The implementation of this project has made a tangible difference, improving the quality of education. The project has made the process of learning smarter, more targeted, effective, interactive and easy to access. It has successfully inculcated self-learning abilities among the students, and helped teachers devise creative methods of teaching.
Crucially, it has made students eager to learn, providing a holistic view of subjects beyond simply what is in their textbooks, while also giving them the ability to critically examine and analyse what they are being taught. It has made rote learning redundant, raising the levels of government-school students and putting them on par with their private school peers.
The digital revolution has proven its merit during the lockdowns. The academic year may have been disrupted, but learning continues, as the curriculum has been backed up onto content management servers from where the students can access it.
Leveraging this, Tamil Nadu government has also developed educational contents that can be disseminated to students at all government schools (even those not part of the project). This has widened the impact of the project – far beyond the scope of the initiative.
In providing the necessary expertise and infrastructure, L&T has played a key role in helping the government realise its vision. More importantly, the project is scalable to 10,000 schools.
