BSES Telecom to add power to education

MUMBAI: BSES Telecom's powersurfer.net provided Internet power to the

corporate and powerscholar.com is the latest offering as an attempt to empower

schools.

The portal has been launched with a view to bridge educational gap in 550 SSC

board schools in Mumbai. The portal has made its presence in 60 schools with

1120 students using the portal, since its launch four months back. The portal

was born with funding and infrastructure provided by BSES Telecom while

development and market support being provided by Radical Technologies.

Commenting on the objective of the portal, BSES Telecom general manager

Prakash Chaukar, said that the portal aims at filling loopholes in the education

sector as the portal covers myriad spheres of information to enhance the

knowledge wealth of the students.

Talks are on with big names like IBM and Compaq and Epson has agreed to contribute its share of assistance as Chaukar revealed that Epson has shown willingness

to provide ten printers.

The portal targets students from seventh to tenth standards as they

understand computers and are inquisitive about them. The strategy that portal

will follow is to select three or four good students from every class who would

access the portal in their schools.

Besides helping students, the portal also has guidelines for teachers on

teaching strategy. The portal has few sponsors who are providing financial help

to the portal. Chaukar revealed that the BSES Telecom is also acting as a medium

for introducing different services in school as he revealed that these 200

schools witnessed Hepatitis- B program at concessional rates and such other

services like providing books, uniforms will be carried out in future. The

portal will be covering 440 schools by the end of this year.

Presently the portal has its presence only in Mumbai schools but soon the

portal will be entering into ICSE, CBSE schools in Mumbai and also outside

Mumbai and Maharashtra. To a question as to when the portal will be made

available to the municipal schools Chaukar said that the proposal has been sent

to the authority and waiting for them to get back.

The other plans that BSES Telecom has on cards are to provide online billing

facility to present customers viz, Rajasthan, Orissa, and Haryana electricity

boards respectively.

Chaukar disclosed that project has been under study and BSES Telecom is

looking forward to execute the project as soon as possible. Chaukar did not

reveal any specific time period for the same.