Youth Sena chief Aditya Thackeray, meanwhile, says e-learning tools would be introduced in all civic schools from next year
Mumbai : The government will take a decision on distributing e-learning tablets, or tabs, after carefully studying all the options, education minister Vinod Tawde told reporters here on Wednesday. He was reacting to questions over his meeting with Youth Sena President Aditya Thackeray, who told the media that tabs would be made available to class VIII students in all civic-run schools by next year.
“Educationists believe that the visual quotient of the students needs to be enhanced for better understanding and the retention of basic concepts, and e-learning tools like tablets are a good for that. The education department has been receiving various proposals in this regard. We shall carefully study all of them and then take the decision,” Tawde said.
“The educational tab for standards VIII to X will contain the entire syllabus and will be complete with maps, info-graphics and revision tests, and will be available in all the languages that are taught in MCGM schools,” Thackeray told reporters at Vidhan Bhavan after presenting an educational tab to Tawde at his Vidhan Bhavan office.
A committee set up by the government to look into the issue of reducing the weight of school bags is positive about providing tabs and the committee members met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray recently, he said.
Tawde, however, opined that reducing the weight of school bag is only a very small component and tabs can be put to use to effectively raise the quality of education.
While giving information on the tabs, Aditya Thackeray said that the tabs will be provided with solar-powered chargers so that they can be used in areas with no electricity. The tabs will also be later distributed to students of zilla parishads and other civic bodies in rural Maharashtra once the government approves it, he added.
“Modalities are being worked out on ways to provide these e-learning tabs through MLA funds or MPLAD funds. Ever since the Sena has started virtual classrooms in some MCGM run schools, SSC results are now touching 90 per cent,” Thackeray claimed.
Tawde assured Thackeray that the government will make a policy statement on the issue in the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature.
