The first set of 10,000 low cost access-cum-computing devices will be ready for distribution to the States later this June. The devices are in the process of testing.
These computers launched under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, will cost Rs. 2,200.
The devices will be accessible to 20 crore students across the country and the total cost is expected to be approximately Rs. 10,000 crore, including a 50 per cent subsidy component for learners.
Manufactured by an Indian company, the computers will reach Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan – which is the nodal centre for distribution -- soon after which the modalities would be worked out to have these devices tested in all climatic conditions of the country.
The HRD Ministry is expected to distribute about 1 lakh such devices to States from where these would be made available to students enrolled in educational institutions. Each State will get 3,000 such devices. The device was launched in July last year when the price quoted was Rs 1,500.
Features of the Devices are:
- A 7-inch touch screen
- USB ports
- battery back up
- external hard drive or memory support up to 32GB
- headphone
- solar charger support
- Youtube playback
- MP4
- video streaming and video conferencing facility
- remote printing client and
- web browser with javascript support.
The three cardinal principles of the Education Policy -- access, equity and quality – could be well served by providing connectivity to all colleges and universities, providing low-cost and affordable access-cum-computing devices to students and teachers and providing high quality e-content free of cost to all learners in the country, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told in a meeting of the State Education Ministers while announcing the details of the scheme and seeking their suggestions.
