Directorate of Mass Education, Govt. of Karnataka : Adult Literacy using ICT

Audio visual based learning, no manpower cost, self-learning information

kiosk business model-the Directorate of Mass Education, Govt. of Karnataka has

amalgamated these three aspects of technology and business to formulate what it

calls an Adult Literacy project using ICT. Aimed at the huge population of

technology-resistant rural youth, most of who have dropped out of school, the

project promotes 'self-learning at will, at your pace'.

The 1000 odd kiosks that have found their way to remote villages in Karnataka

feature learning 'modules' that are highly image intensive, and are based on the

traditional 'see and hear' model of learning. This means most of the content is

not text heavy, but pictorially represented along with voice-overs. After

considering an array of hardware technologies ranging from use of the digital

pen to touch screens, the project decided to zero in on the good old mouse to

trace and an electronic 'slate' to 'write' the input. The project heads claim

that this computerized model has brought down the average learning time among

the rural youth by a third, after having carefully monitored the rate at which

they browsed across lessons. The dept also plans to incorporate touch screens

and update course content more regularly in the months to come.