Himachal falls behind in computer education

Shimla: With the Himachal government struggling to impart computer education in schools, a study has pointed out glaring deficiencies in the curriculum and infrastructure at the senior secondary level, with many children shying from taking to the subject.

Anu, a class IX student at a government senior secondary school took to learning computers as an optional subject. Her father Ghanshyam, who works in the hospitality sector, coughed up Rs 130 a month for a year so that his daughter becomes computer literate. After a year, Anu has learn’t to create a folder and play Hindi songs on the computer.

Saptarshi Mukherjee, Kaavya B and Jayaram K, from the SP Jain institute of Management Mumbai doing a case study for My Himachal about computer literacy and IT penetration in Himachal found that 2 computers to a school and 3 to a college were simply insufficient to meet the needs for the subject.

“Though a girl’s education is free in the state but since computer education at the senior secondary level has been outsourced, Anu needs to pay for it,” says Satparshi. “A fee of Re 130 for just about an hour on the machine in a month is a very high fee structure that may spread awareness about a computer but certainly imparts no education.”

Presenting their findings before Prem Kumar Dhumal, the chief minister responded that resources remained a constraint for the moment but would be overcome.

“We will need to look at cost efficiencies and better utilisation that can be provided by mobile computer labs for imparting computer education,” said Dhumal.

Computers is introduced in class IX as an optional subject that too where a minimum number of students opt for it and given the poor infrastructure, by Class XII they are expected to pass an exam in Oracle, says Kaavya.

With only 588 schools out of 1216 schools providing computer education, Himachal is at least 6 to 7 years behind some other states in the subject, said Kavvya.

The state lacks a talent pool of IT engineers, says Jayaram, which does not warrant for IT companies to open offices. In the face of fierce competition, for the about 50,000 students who pass class XII each year there are only about 200 computer science seats available in the states engineering colleges.

The 5 proposed IT parks have not got off the ground. Given the constraints under which IT education is being imparted at the senior secondary school level, we found that many students in mid-course drop the subject itself, said Jayaram.

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4 Comments

  1. says: D.R.Singh

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  2. says: Vivek Karun

    Dear Sir,
    This is Vivek Karun from Himachal Pradesh. I am now in Delhi. And Working for an NGO Know as Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI). This NGO also run in Himachal Pradesh. I want todo something more for My Great Himachal. I know that Computer Education is very poor in this state. Pls. tell me that How can i help U to make the Computer Education is better in H.P.

  3. says: Amit Chand Kapoor

    Dear Sir,

    I Amit from Himachal Pradesh. Now working in Delhi, I want to do something more for my great himachal. And Its my glad to do something for my native land. If u want any tpye of service to me then email / call me. I m ready when u need. And give knowledge to my native pupils. So tell me how can i help u in this field.

    Thanking u,

    Amit (9990839141)

    1. says: Amit chand

      Respected sir,
      I write this letter from delhi, and i m glad to know ur view. It’s a highly pleasure works. If u read my mail then i have a plan that if we open an institute in every districtwise, grade it by A : FOR UPPER CLASS = 50/PER, B : FOR SECOND CLASS = 25/PER, C : FOR LOWER CLASS = NIL, (confirm by us) by which all our himachal childrens who are studying in school or in college and those childrens who have been completed theirs studies, but not in this condition to gain the computer education & also those who have no way to study in school properly, by this computer education, we can up theirs life and literacy in computer. Because i think that their’s a lot of childrens in our pradesh, that they have no more money & back to learn the computer education properly. So, if ur interested then reply me in my mail ([email protected]) or contact me 09990839141.

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