DE Launch Ceremony - 21st June 2010

The DE Decentralized Resource Centre Training Model covering 104 schools spread over 6 districts of Orissa, was formally launched on Monday the 21st of June 2010. A inaugural function was organized in The Hotel New Marrion, Bhubaneshwar. The event was attended by the Shri Pratap Jena, Hon'ble Minister School and Mass Education, Govt. of Orissa, Smt. Vandana Kumari Jena, Principal Secretary, School and Mass Education Department, Govt. of Orissa, Smt. Aparajita Sarangi, Special Secretary, School and Mass Education Department, Govt. of Orissa, Prof. (Dr) Sebak Tripathy, Director TE and SCERT and Tarun Vij, Country Director, AIFT.

As part of the expansion of the Digital Equalizer Program to 104 Govt. Upper Primary and Secondary schools from the academic year 2010, American India Foundation, will set up an Apex Level Computer Resource Centre in SCERT Bhubaneswar. This will serve as a feeder centre to the six new resource/training centre’s to be set up by the SCERT in all the three Institute of Advanced Studies (IASE’s) (RNIASE, Cuttack, PMIASE, Sambalpur and DPIASE, Berhampur) and three corresponding DIET’s (DIET, Dolipur, DIET, Sambalpur and DIET, Khalikote) spread over three revenue divisions.

The SCERT Computer Resource Centre will work for the capacity building of SCERT staff, teacher educators and administrators of the School and Mass Education department. The six centres comprising of the three advanced centres and three DIET level centres, will serve as teacher training centres, for the respective schools, within their catchment area. AIFT will impart training in computer fundamentals and techno-pedagogy with the objective of effective integration of technology in teaching through these centres. The hundred schools, will comprise of 52 Secondary and 52 Upper Primary Schools spread over 6 six districts. 646 teachers and 31,761 students will be trained as part of the program. 128 teacher educators and 124 administrators of the School and Mass Education Department will be trained at the apex level resource centre, in SCERT to be set up by the American India Foundation.