Cluster schools, block offices to get new computers in Ludhiana

Each cluster primary school will get one computer and one printer, while block offices will get two computers and two printers each. In Ludhiana, there are 112 cluster primary schools and 19 block offices that will get the new equipment.

In an initiative taken up by Punjab government, 1,500 cluster schools and 228 block education offices across the state will be provided new computers with latest technology and printers in the next three months.

HT Image

Cluster schools are the centres of excellence (within each school grouping) responsible for dissemination of information to the district education office.

TENDERS FLOATED

The government’s move will prove beneficial at the cluster as well as the block level as the equipment they have are more than 10-year-old. Tenders have been floated by the Punjab Information and Communication Technology Education Society (PICTES) and in the coming days, the selected agency will deliver the equipment to the respective schools and offices.

Each cluster primary school will get one computer and one printer, while block offices will get two computers and two printers each. In Ludhiana, there are 112 cluster primary schools and 19 block offices that will get the new equipment.

At the cluster level, the head teacher and other staff handle various responsibilities regarding gathering of information about the enrolment in schools, evaluation of answer sheets, marking duties to staff and other works.

As per sources, there was a dire need of providing computers and printers at the cluster level as a lot of data is first collected and then sent to the block offices. A cluster level employee, requesting anonymity, said, “We have two computers and both of them freeze several times resulting into a delay in the works.” “Under our cluster, there are 18 schools and whenever we are instructed to send the data, we face issues as the system either get slow or shut down. We require new systems to send the information to the schools quickly,” he said.

At the block level, a block primary education officer (BPEO) and his/her staff are responsible to send the consolidated information of schools related to the attendance of students, teachers and head teachers to the district education office.

Ludhiana-1 BPEO Tripta Rani said, “We had received computers from a high school years ago but they are non-functional now. We have arranged laptops and computers at our own level to send the required data to the district authorities.”

DELIVERY IN 3 MONTHS

Confirming the details, PICTES assistant manager (hardware) Yadwinder Singh said, “Tenders have been floated and the selected agency will deliver the equipment within next three months to the cluster schools and block offices.”