Pondicherry looks to Bihar for lessons

Patna: A team of three officials from Pondicherry are on a visit to Bihar to get a first-hand account of the techniques being used here to deliver quality education.

Led by state project director of education S. Pal, the three-member team from Pondicherry visited Banka on Monday for having a first-hand account of the Unnayan Banka project that entails providing quality education for all using latest technologies.

The initiative, which was started by the Banka district administration in August last year has already been awarded at the national level. It uses modern technology to deliver quality education to students even in remote areas of this eastern Bihar district. It uses mobile phones and smart TVs to deliver its services.

For mobile users, the Unnayan Banka project has come up with a mobile app, Eckovation, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store free of cost. The platform provides help to students from classes IX to XII and to those preparing for various competitive examinations, including IIT-JEE and the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.

Apart from providing basic lessons, the platform also allows students to get their doubts cleared by experts, who have been roped in to help students through crowd sourcing. Students can also use the WhatsApp number 8851091247 for any education-related help from Unnayan Banka.

After coming to know about the project, Pondicherry development commissioner-cum-secretary (education) A. Anbarasu had written a letter to the Bihar government seeking permission for sending a team to Banka for studying the project in detail. Following consent of the Bihar government, the team from the south Indian Union Territory visited Banka on Monday.

Terming the field visit a wonderful experience, team member Ramkrishna, who is the state MIS coordinator in Pondicherry, said: "After going back from here, we will submit a report to the government and would make strong recommendation for implementing it in Pondicherry."

Another team member Pugazhendi, who is a mathematics teacher and the district programme coordinator in the education department, said: "I have been motivated by this initiative. Now I would contribute to it by helping the students in clearing their doubts in mathematics."

Reacting to the positive response coming from outside the state for the Unnayan Banka initiative, Banka district magistrate Kundan Kumar said: "Such things would motivate the team Banka to do even better for achieving the goal of delivering quality education to all."