Maharashtra to introduce infotech in schools curricula next year

Mumbai, Dec 9: The Maharashtra government, in a bid to take on competition from rival states, will introduce information technology as a ...

Mumbai, Dec 9: The Maharashtra government, in a bid to take on competition from rival states, will introduce information technology as a subject in the school curriculum from June next year. The government, which has recently announced an IT policy, also proposes to use IT as an effective tool for human resource development.

Announcing this at a national conference on `Electronics and information technology-Beyond 2000′, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci), chief minister Manohar Joshi said his government will give priority to IT and computer literacy in government-aided and private schools in the state. He informed that a knowledge corridor will be developed between Mumbai and Pune.

He said that computer laboratories will be set up at government-aided schools, zilla-parishad schools and municipal schools. The government will encourage private initiative in the 7,500 to 8,000 aided and unaided schools in the state.

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Joshi said his government will lay emphasis onIT education from a basic level right up to schools of excellence like the institutes run by the Carnegie Mellon University and the Novell Institute of Networking Technology. The government will also set up an Indian Institute of Software Engineering at Pune which will be developed as a Cyber City.

Joshi said his government has decided to declare 1999-2000 as the information technology year to develop massive IT infrastructure and industry. He told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting at Mantralaya that the cabinet has approved a proposal which envisaged effective implementation of the state’s IT policy, enhanced application of IT in government machinery and develop IT network in rural areas.

State industries secretary Yashwant Bhave said the government has offered various fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to the IT sector. Henceforth software units will be allowed in the residential zones also, he added.

Bhave said the state government will complete computerisation in the government functioning by2000 as transactions will be conducted in a paperless form via the E-mail. He informed that Mantralaya will be connected with all districts and tahsils in the next three years.

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He said the government had no plans to float a separate venture capital fund to help new software units. However, he informed that the state government or its agency, State Industrial & Investment Corporation of Maharashtra (Sicom) can associate with the union government, IDBI and ICICI in venture financing.

Ficci senior vice-president GP Goenka called for a balanced weightage to electronics and its role in IT. Ficci committee on IT chairman Vinay Rai emphasised on the role of edcuation and human resource development.