Haryana government to distribute free tablets to students of classes 10 to 12 from May 5

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government will distribute free tablets to students of classes 10-12 from May 5, an official statement said on Monday. The devices will have preloaded content along with personalised and adaptive learning software, and free internet data will also be provided to 5 lakh students. "Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Digital India' campaign under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister, Haryana, the government is going to provide tablets and free data to 5 lakh students studying in government schools," the statement said.

Also Read | India Heatwave: Haryana revises schools timings for government, private schools

The ambitious scheme of the state government has been named 'e-learning--Advance Digital Haryana Initiative of Government with Adaptive Modules'. The tablet distribution function will be held on May 5 at the Tagore Auditorium of Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will be among others present at the event. "The tablets will be given to students of government schools of Rohtak city. The tablet distribution function will also start on this day in 119 blocks across the state. In other districts, ministers, MPs, MLAs, other guests, along with deputy commissioners and district administration will distribute tablets on the same day," the statement said.

According to the statement, under this ambitious scheme, tablets, 2GB free data and PAL (personalised adaptive learning) platform is being provided to all students studying in classes 10 to 12 in government schools. All 33,000 PGTs (Postgraduate Trained Teachers) teaching these classes will also be given free tablets. For other lower classes 8-9, tablets will be arranged in a phased manner later, it said.

Also Read | Truncated school hours in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district due to summer heat

Talking about the scheme, Khattar said the tablets and data are tools for students which will help them to acquire the skills of 21st century and open new opportunities for them at national and international level. Through e-learning, students of Haryana will become global students, he said. He said during COVID-19, many parents did not have any resource to get the child's education online.

"The government is going to fill this gap through e-learning. This ambitious scheme will prove to be an effective step towards online education for most of the students studying in government schools, especially those who are unable to buy devices like smartphones and tablets," he said. The chief minister said the state is also making continuous efforts to provide employment-oriented education to the youth and to make them skilled. For this purpose, Vishwa Kaushal Kendra will be established in Gurugram.