THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has published the revised guidelines for the procurement of IT equipment in schools and educational offices. The guidelines have been published after approving the recommendation of the technical committee of General Education Department.
The price benefits through bulk procurement from the national tender published by KITE (Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education) for the hi-tech lab for primary schools project were considered.
Equipment such as laptop, projector, screen, USB speaker, projector mounting kit and LED television are included in the revised guidelines. Laptops need to be installed in schools considering their portability, power backup and minimal power consumption features.
The distributors have to demonstrate the working of the equipment before the headmaster and IT coordinator at the time of delivery of the equipment at schools.
Details such as the installation date, warranty period, contact details of firm/personnel for service have to be displayed on all devices. Besides, the schools are required to display the list of equipment received under each scheme, year and source of funds.
The firms which supply the equipment should ensure the availability of call centre number and web portal address for registering the complaints.
The complaints thus reported have to be attended within two days and need to be closed within five working days. Otherwise, there will be a penalty imposed on the supplier at the rate of Rs 100 per day.
If the school authorities feel they require equipment which is not included in the guidelines, they can procure them at a maximum rate of Rs 15,000 per equipment or Rs 50,000 as a single project.
The guideline also lists out the details of ICT equipment essential for a hi-tech/smart classroom. Equipment such as desktop computer, interactive white board and smart television should not be supplied to schools using government funds.
FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) has been made mandatory in schools and offices. Academic vetting of digital contents of any form has also been made compulsory.
Guidelines
1. Laptop, projector, screen, USB speaker, projector mounting kit and LED TV included in new list.
2. Desktops, interactive white boards and smart TVs should not be supplied using govt funds.
3. 5-year comprehensive warranty for all equipment. Call centre and web portal mandatory for registering complaints. D100 per day penalty for vendors.
4. KITE would develop an Online Stock Register for all schools and institutions.
5. Prior approval of SCERT and KITE must for providing any digital content or digital libraries to schools.
6. There should not be any activities in schools which capture or share personal details of students or store or host them in private servers.