30,000 students to get Net exposure

with about 300 computers being installed in 17 rows. SIFY’s computer professionals were busy with last-minute checks to ensure that there are no glitches when the show actually begins.

A stage was also being set up and a tutor, according to a SIFY official, would guide the students unravel the mysteries of the internet. Giant screens were being put up in the stadium to display concepts which will be taught to the children.

The Student Internet World is the government’s way of popularising and familiarising internet and computers to students. Each of the five days, beginning Wednesday, will be divided into one-hour slots from 9 am to 5 pm. Each one-hour slot is allotted to one school on a first-come-first serve basis.

The government anticipates batches of 600 students every hour. Other students can use the computers between 5 pm and 8 pm. And so nearly 30,000 students, in all, are likely to visit the stadium to surf the net.

“The idea is to create awareness among students about the internet, which has a wealth of information waiting to be exploited,” a top Satyam Infoway official said.

The Software Technology Park of India (STPI), Bangalore, has tied up with Hutchinson Max (at Bangalore Palace) and Thaicom (at Kanteerava Stadium) to set up two gateways at the venue. The connectivity at the stadium is said to be the fastest provided in the country so far. The cyber cafes, at the Bangalore Palace, have less than one mb connectivity.

On its part, SIFY is not willing to take any risks. It has nearly 30 computers which will be used in case of any emergency, computer professionals will be present on all the five days to tackle any problem.