BSES Telecom to add power to education

Rashida Bakait

After powersurfer.net from BSES Telecom that provided
Internet power to the corporate, www.powerscholar.com is the latest offering as
an attempt to empower schools.

The portal has been launched with a view to bridge
educational gap in 550 SSC board schools in Mumbai. The portal has made its
presence in 60 schools with 1,120 students using the portal, since its launch
four months back. The portal was born with funding and infrastructure provided
by BSES Telecom while development and market support being provided by Radical
Technologies.

Commenting on the objective of the portal, Prakash Chaukar,
GM, BSES Telecom, said that portal aims at filling loopholes in the education
sector as the portal covers myriad spheres of information to enhance the
knowledge wealth of the students.

The other big names like IBM, Compaq, Intel, Epson are also
contributing their share of assistance as Chaukar revealed that Epson has shown
willingness to provide ten printers in this venture.

The portal targets students from seventh to tenth standards
as they understand computers and are inquisitive about them. The strategy that
portal will follow is to select three or four good students from every class who
would access the portal in their schools.

Besides helping students, the portal also has guidelines for
teachers on teaching strategy. The portal has few sponsors who are providing
financial help to the portal. Chaukar revealed that the BSES Telecom is also
acting as a medium for introducing different services in school as he revealed
that these 200 schools witnessed Hepatitis- B programme at concessional rates
and such other services like providing books, uniforms will be carried out in
future. The portal will be covering 440 schools by the end of this year. Chaukar
believes that by next year the profit that will be made through the portal may
be to the tune of Rs 1 crore.

Presently the portal has its presence only in Mumbai schools
but soon the portal will be entering into ICSE, CBSE schools in Mumbai and also
outside Mumbai and Maharashtra. To a question as to when the portal will be made
available to the municipal schools Chaukar said that the proposal has been sent
to the authority and they have accepted the proposal and soon the portal will be
made available to these schools.

After one year of its completion and according to the
response and the performance of the portal BSES Telecom will sketch more plans
based on the same concept. Chaukar also foresee to develop this portal as a
product and establish its identity ion the international market.

The other plans that BSES has on cards are to provide online
billing facility to present customers viz, Rajasthan, Orissa, and Haryana
electricity boards respectively.

Chaukar disclosed that project has been under study and BSES
is looking forward to execute the project as soon as possible. Chaukar did not
reveal any specific time period for the same.

(CNS)