Punjab government to distribute 1.78 lakh smartphone to class 12th students by November.
Punjab government has announced that it will be distributing 1.78 lakh smartphone to class 12th students studying in state-run government schools by November 2020. As per the media reports, the state government will soon start distributing the first batch of 50,000 smartphones. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had earlier said that the first batch of smartphones will be given to students who are currently pursuing class 12 in government schools and do not have smartphones. This is been done with an aim to provide every student in the state, access to online classes. This move is necessary so that the students do not suffer during the pandemic due to the lack of access to education.
In 2019, the state government had decided to distribute mobile phones to 1.6 lakh girls studying in class 11 and 2 in government schools who do not own smartphones. The contract was signed with Lava International Ltd after an open competitive bidding process. With the pandemic, the delivery and distribution of smartphones could not be conducted in the 2019-20 academic year.
The smartphones will contain various features such as touch screen, camera, pre-loaded government applications including e-Sewa App which will contain e-content related to classes 11 and 12 approved by the Department of School Education. The second batch will be procured by the government soon and the entire distribution process will be completed by November. The information was provided by an official after a meeting of the state cabinet which approved the modalities for distribution.
Schools across the country have been kept closed since mid-March. Four months of the 2020-21 academic year have passed by without regular classes conducted on campus and while the private schools have been conducting online classes for the students, the government school students have been faced with a disadvantage especially those studying in class 12. With the distribution of smartphones, the government of Punjab aims to fulfill the Punjab Smart Connect Scheme announced in 2018. The scheme was launched with an aim to provide digital access to the youth as well as information regarding education, career opportunities, access to skill development and employment opportunities along with basic citizen-centric services through government applications.
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