Kerala will become the first state in the country to launch a free and open learning website for its school students on Wednesday. The facility to be launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the Government Girls’ VHSS, Manacaud, here at 2 p.m. will benefit around 25 lakh students in the state, the officials said.
‘’The portal will offer interactive multimedia learning programmes for high school, higher secondary and vocational higher secondary students in state, CBSE and ICSE syllabi,’’ said SIET director Babu Sebastian.
‘’The website employing text, audio, video and animation tools is a first of its kind facility in the country,’’ he added.
The learning materials on the site will cater to students from 8th standard to Plus-II. Interactive lessons will be available on the subjects of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. VHSE students will be offered interactive multimedia lessons on seven subjects, including agriculture, clothing and embroidery, civil construction, domestic nursing, office secretaryship, medical technician and travel and tourism.
The lessons available on the ‘learning’ link on the website can also be downloaded or printed. The users are not even required to register their names making it a truly free and open website, Babu Sebastian said.
Lessons prepared in drama format is another highlight of the website. ‘Talking test,’ another facility, will be useful for visually-challenged students. Educational games and a facility for self-assessment is also available.
The website is expected to improve the quality of learning of students, Babu Sebastian said. Currently, there are 2,000 modules on the site which will be increased to 6,000 in the near future. Around 200 teachers have associated with the project, he said.