Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma handed over M-Tab (learning tablets) to students of West Garo Hills along with Speaker Thomas A Sangma at a programme held at the District Auditorium, Tura.
The M-Tab is an initiative of the Chief Minister’s Student Digital Learning Scheme, which aims to promote e-Education in the state. The tablet is loaded with comprehensive contents related to Higher Secondary level examination for all streams, including contents, mock question papers, past question and solved answer papers for various competitive examinations. It also has high quality audio-video, animation and 3D graphic contents.
Speaking at the programme, the chief minister said, “The hand held device is not just a gadget. It is a tool to empower our youth. We want to ensure that our youth get access to learning and are better equipped to face different examinations.”
He said that technology is changing every aspect of life and the use of technology must be strengthened to ensure that learning is made impactful, meaningful, exciting and enjoyable.
The chief minister said that digital learning through audio-video and pictorial content, makes learning easier and simpler. “We strongly feel that more and more use of technology at the grassroot level… Smart classrooms, digital learning will aid our students… but remember, technology is only an enabler. It can only enable you to learn in an easier way,” he said.
He also informed that the government has accorded priority to develop IT related sector in the state, including setting up of IT parks in Shillong and Tura and laying of optical fibres.
“We hope that these projects will be completed in the next two years. We are hopeful that every school will be getting access to the optical fibres. It will take time, but the process has started,” the chief minister asserted.
He also informed that the existing IT park in Shillong is catering to clients from US and Europe. “Our boys and girls from Meghalaya are working for AI companies. They are providing AI companies in the US, Europe with solutions that predict crop disease, predict rain, growth of the plant, requirement of water, etc. All this is being done from Meghalaya, this is the kind of transformation that is taking place,” he added.
Around 1 lakh tablets have been distributed from 2021 to class XI students. In 2023-24 academic session, 30,480 students as per the Directorate of School Education and Literacy have received the benefit of the scheme.
In West Garo Hills district, around 3000 M-Tabs will be distributed. In today’s distribution, over 400 plus students from 21different higher secondary schools received the tablets.
Close to 5,700 teachers from different higher secondary schools in the state will receive the tablet, which will facilitate e-learning and assessments.
The Vidya Samiksha Kendra, a learning management App designed by the Department of Information and Technology, Government of Meghalaya, aimed to monitor learning outcomes, is also helping the teachers to monitor and assess the outcomes of the students.
