Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Saturday 4 January 2014

An Unprecedented Opportunity



While winning confidence vote in Delhi Assembly on 2nd Jan , Arvind Kejriwal re-iterated 18 promises made by AAP to people of Delhi


One of this is ;


Open 500 new schools in 5 years


That is approx one new school every 4th day  !


I was reminded of BJP's promise to people of Gujarat in its poll manifesto released on 3rd Dec 2012 , before Gujarat Assembly elections


Viz:


If voted to power , we will build 50 lakh houses for the poor of Gujarat in 5 years


which translates to, 2,739 new houses EVERY DAY  !


By now , BJP Government should have built  10,27,125  houses  !


But no one - even opposition - is asking ,


" Where are these houses ? "


AAP may not be so lucky , with people of Delhi - and BJP MLAs - asking every 4th day ,


"  When can I send my child to the new school  ?  "


No doubt , AAP , before releasing the manifesto , must have figured out the resources required to build 500 new schools , viz : ,


>   Land  ............  2,500 acres


>   Money  ..........  Rs 5,000 Crores


>   Teachers ........  25,000


>   Annual salaries / Maintenance cost......... Rs 100 Crores



But in case , if at this stage , it appears doubtful to raise such resources , there is a way out  !


Unlike BJP in Gujarat , AAP in Delhi can build 5,00 ( or even 5,000 ) ,


VIRTUAL  SCHOOLS


And do this in 6 months , instead of in 5 years  !


And do this at 1 % of the cost of building physical schools  !


Now all that AAP need to do to impart online education to 3 lakh Delhi children , is :


>   Find 3 lakh donors , each of whom will sponsor ONE Delhi child , by
     donating Rs 2,000 / -


>   With this money , buy 3 lakh tablet computers ,( Aakash 4 specs ), which are pre-loaded
     with all the text books and other instructional materials


>   At a cost of Rs 10 crores , cover entire Delhi with Wi-Max internet .

     Google ( or Bill Gates ) would be happy to help out


>   Grant Rs 10 crores to IIT-Delhi , to create " VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS "
      for each and every subject ( 1st to 10th standards )


      Prof Rahul Deshmukh ( IIT-Mumbai ) who has created such an
      infrastructure for the engineering subjects , should be happy to help


>   Get Dr Sugata Mitra ( the " Hole-in-the-Wall " fame , Delhi educationist )
      to spearhead the entire project - the broad framework being available
      in the Cover Story ( Can Technology Educate Us ? ) of Digit magazine
      of March 2013



If anyone in AAP has lingering doubts re feasibility of such a project , just send him to look at what Subhash Rathod , Principal of a small school of Sanganwa ( 35 Km from Rajkot ) has managed to do , ( and without any government help ! ) , viz ;


>  Wi-Fi enabled campus


>  Smart Classrooms


>  Digital Teaching Aids


    ( using Rs 5 lakhs of insurance money that Rathod received after the
      death of his only son in a road accident in 2011 )


>  Tablet for every child


     (  cost borne by a local industrialist , Jayanti Patoliya )


>  Syllabus and study materials in Gujarati , using special software


>  No school bags  !


People of India expect AAP to innovate , not just in ushering a NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM , but also in EDUCATION SYSTEM  !



ARVIND ,



Don't miss this unprecedented opportunity  !




*   hemen   parekh   (  05  Jan   2014  /  Mumbai  )



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