All Panvel civic schools go digital, first in MMR, claims civic body

Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) in India has equipped all 57 classrooms in its 11 schools with digital boards as part of its efforts to modernise education. The touch screen-based digital boards are connected to the internet and can also be connected to smartphones, laptops and computers. PMC is the first municipal corporation in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to have all digital schools. The initiative, which cost INR 25m ($380,000), aims to improve the quality of education and provide interactive learning experiences for students.

PANVEL

All Panvel civic schools go digital, first in MMR region claims civic body - All 57 classrooms in 11 schools get digital boards in Navi Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (HT PHOTO)

Keeping up with the needs of modern education, Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) run schools have all gone digital. The civic body initiative has ensured that all 57 classrooms in the 11 schools run by it have digital boards for the students’ learning. PMC says it is the first municipal corporation in the MMR region to have all digital schools.

The initiative was inaugurated on Wednesday, as a Teacher’s day gift to students, by MLA Prashant Thakur in the presence of municipal commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh at Loknete D B Patil school in Panvel. PMC has spent ₹2.5 cr for the project. The touch screen based digital boards are connected to the internet. They can also be connected with smartphones, laptops and computers.

According to Deshmukh, who conceptualized the initiative, “Following instructions of the state government to give priority to the improvement of the schools and quality education, we have taken up the initiatives of repairing the school buildings, setting up libraries, computer cells etc. Among these measures is the very significant project of digital schools.”

Informed Deshmukh, “We have installed digital boards in all the classrooms of all our schools, which is a first in the entire MMR region by any municipal corporation. The 65 inches digital boards have been fed with the entire syllabus. The digital boards are connected to computers which have the entire syllabus of Marathi, Urdu and Gujarati medium for standard one to seven stored in it. There is also a YouTube app installed.”

He added, “Just as we do on computers, teachers will be able to select any subject for any class, at the touch of the screen. The topics will appear on the screen as the teachers teach in the class. Video conferencing will also be possible. Teachers can share the digital board for several classes at a time to teach at one go.”

Explained Deshmukh, “The system will ensure interactive sessions with text, pictures and videos related to the topics being taught being displayed to the students for easy understanding. It will also make the topics more interesting for the students through visualization and creation of a better environment.”

Appreciating the initiative, MLA Prashant Thakur said, “We have come out of the rote learning process of earlier times. It is important that the students have access to modern technology to boost their confidence. This initiative will make easy, however difficult, the topic thereby benefiting the students.”

He added, “With the upgradation of the education system in PMC schools, the students will be able to better compete in various events and even the private schools will have to take notice of it. This initiative will provide a major boost to education in Panvel.”