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.