THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IT@School Project has joined hands with the BSNL for providing high speed VPN (Virtual Private Network) over Broadband internet connectivity to 4,000 schools and 300 educational offices in the state.
By upgrading the current ordinary broadband connection to VPN mode, it not only provides high speed internet connectivity, but also enables unlimited data sharing without the need to avail of normal internet bandwidth.
A statement from IT@School said that all schools and educational offices within VPN connection would experience a data transfer mode, similar to transfer between two adjacent computers in a lab, that too with increased security features.
The new form of internet data transfer which is termed as VPNoBB (VPN over Broadband) will function as a private virtual network in MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) cloud.
A major feature of VPN is its security, the data transferred is done in a secured encrypted form, which is difficult to be hacked. Unlike the conventional and expensive dedicated leased line model, the VPN connectivity provided by the BSNL to IT@School beneficiaries also offers a much faster, easily deployable, more flexible option.
The new VPN-based broadband connectivity will be provided to 2,461 High Schools, 1,236 Higher Secondary Schools, 377 Vocational Higher Secondary Schools, 233 Upper Primary Schools, entire offices of Deputy Directors, District Educational Officers and Assistant Educational Officers, District Institute of Educational Technology and 35 Block Resource Centres of the State.
For the first time in the country, all schools in the State were equipped with broadband connectivity by IT@School Project in 2008 itself, two years ahead of the planned period as decided in the IT Policy of the State Government in 2007, said the statement.
“Kerala has achieved the unique landmark of high speed broadband connectivity to all schools, a feature that is unavailable in schools and colleges in any other State in the country,” says K Anvar Sadath, Executive Director, IT@School Project, in the statement.
With the new technology, schools could easily transfer and access any file regardless of its size that contains videos, multimedia etc that are bandwidth intensive, in a more easier way.
Hence, activities such as accessing ICT enabled content, School Wiki, Content Management Framework software, School Management Systems and Skoool Kerala Portal etc will be hassle-free from now on.
Several e-governance applications such as SSLC and Higher Secondary results, Single Window for Plus-I admission process, online transfer and posting of teachers, noon meal distribution computerisation, State Kalolsavam and sports meet, IT & Science fairs etc, where the data will be hosted at the State Data Centre, will also be made accessible in a more effective way.
The new VPN connectivity will also boost the ‘Salary Bill’ preparation process in SPARK portal.
In the four schools in Idukki, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Pathanamthitta districts, where broadband and WLL connectivity could not be established, specific facilities in VSAT will be arranged.
BSNL has provided the new VPN model of broadband connectivity at a rate as lower as 1/5th of the existing market rates.
The shift to VPN mode will be completed by April, a press statement from IT@School said.