On July 6, 2020, CSC Bal Vidyalaya was launched through video conferencing in ten states. These ICT enabled schools are specially designed for students of rural India. 21 pre-school CSC Bal Vidyalaya have been started in the following states: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu.
Dr. Dinesh Kumar Tyagi, CEO-CSC SPV, while inaugurating the event, appreciated the efforts of CSCs in providing key services to the citizens across the country . He said, “Digital India is for the poor and underprivileged. We started the concept of Bal Vidyalaya to make CSCs sustainable and to bridge the digital divide in rural areas. CSC foundation is “education”. We wanted to help cognitive development of children at the nascent stage. In the initial stage, we started with those CSCs who are associated with school activities. What differentiates CSC Bal Vidyalaya with other schools is – CSC Bal Vidyalya use technology, they enable child to learn rather than focus on “Teach”. The key to improving a child’s motivation and ability to become an independent learner is to employ effective cognitive strategies. With the use of technology, child can learn fast.” He added, “In villages, quality education will be ensured through CSC Bal Vidyalaya. To bridge limitations of access to technology tools and good teachers, CSC Bal Vidyalya propose to address these aspects . By this financial year, we will set up 700 Vidyalayas- one in every district and by next year we will set up in all blocks of the country. The launch of Bal Vidalaya will be a new chapter in CSC ecosystem. These students will play a significant role in nation building and further promoting digital inclusion.”
Prof. MM Pant, Former Pro VC-IGNOU said, “The initial years of a child's life are fundamentally important. They are the foundation that shapes children's future health, happiness, growth, and development . Recent research confirms that these years(3-5years) are particularly important for the development of the child's brain. Early experiences provide the base for the brain's organizational development and functioning throughout life. They have a direct impact on how children develop learning skills as well as social and emotional abilities. I am happy to note that the new education policy has focused early childhood education. In this context, the initiative of CSC Bal Vidyalaya is revolutionary.” He added, “Digital technologies are an inseparable part of today's learning process and CSC Bal Vidyalayas are technology enabled.”
Mr. Rishikesh Patankar, COO-CSC SPV said, “CSC Bal Vidyalaya are ICT enabled education for school children. With this initiative, CSC Academy is starting a new journey. Here we will focus learning by doing. We will encourage activity based learning.”
CSC Academy will provide following support to Bal Vidyalaya:
• Pedagogy, Curriculum, Content, Activity plan, Delivery, teaching tools and Child progress.
• Provide the Technological tools - Technology enabled learning content
• Print material illustrative designs
• Guidelines for Infrastructure requirements, Layout plan, Furniture, Painting, In-door
• Support for sourcing Furniture, Laptop, Tablets, etc.
• Teacher/facilitator selection guidelines.
• Teacher/facilitator training.
• Learning outcome guidelines and monitoring tools
• Branding
Five VLEs who are running CSC Bal Vidyalaya, also shared their experiences during the program and appreciated the effort in this direction for overall development of Rural India .
