Wiz on wheels

School kids in rural Tamil Nadu
have, computer education rolling their
way. A computer-on-wheels programme,. devised by Anna University
in Madras, is teaching three computer
languages - Basic, D Base3+ and
Lotus - to high school children in
rural areas of the state. Five computers are taken to each school in a three-month course.

Initiated in 1992 in schools run by
the Madras city corporation, the
scheme was soon extended to schools.
around Vellore and Salem. Funded by
the state-owned Tamil Nadu
Foundation for Educational Programmes, computer-on-wheels hag
also secured financial support from,
private companie's and parent-teacher
associations. Say's P. Narayanaswamy, acting head , of the
Ramanujan Computer Centre, of Anna
University, "It costs R.s 2,000.to
extend the programme to a new
school in these two districts.'
However, establishing the programme
in the other districts would require
about Rs.10,000 per school."