IT Scan

April 15, 2005
IT award for Dr. Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" experiment

New Delhi -- Socially disadvantaged children left to fiddle with a freely accessible Internet-connected computer organise themselves into learning teams around the PC - without any guidance. This could make the computer a tremendous tool in the battle against mass illiteracy.

For conceiving and moving this idea in experiments across the country to over 100 diverse locations, NIIT chief scientist, Dr. Sugata Mitra won this year's Dewang Mehta award of Rs. 5 lakhs, instituted by the Ministry of Communications and IT. Union ICT Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, presented the award in New Delhi at an impressive ceremony attended by various IT professionals. The Minister lauded the effort behind the experiment that led to the creation of the science and teaching methods of minimally invasive education (MIE).

The Department of Information Technology instituted this award in 2001, as a tribute to the IT evangelist Dewang Mehta. The award is presented to individuals from technology sectors whose innovative work has the potential of making an impact on the national development or bring fame to the country. Past recipients of the award include Rajesh Hukku of i-Flex and the team led by Vinay Deshpande that developed the Simputer.

MIE, popularly known as the 'Hole-in-the-Wall experiment', is based on the premise of incidental learning with minimum human guidance. In the experiment conducted in 1999, a computer connected to the Internet was left unsupervised embedded into a slum wall. The experiment suggested that children, irrespective of their social, ethnic or educational identity, can learn to use computers by themselves.

This unique discovery was verified in intensive testing by Mitra and his team, through nearly 40,000 children and more than 100 computers in India and Cambodia. These 'playground' computers, powered by MIE technology, not only helped children acquire functional computer literacy but also led to improvement in their academic performance, confidence level and collaborative behaviour.

The computers provided in safe, public, outdoor spaces through innovative technologies are developed by the CRCS. All activities at these kiosks are monitored remotely through the Internet from Delhi.

NIIT is now making this technique available to the world through 'Hole In the Wall Education Limited'(HIWEL). The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was entrusted with the task to source the technology and build kiosks in villages of Cambodia in 2004, as a gift to the children of Cambodia from the Government of India.

Expressing his happiness on getting this prestigious award, Dr Sugata Mitra said: "This award is an acceptance of this new age technology, that can close the 'digital divide' rapidly in addition to unlocking the creative potential for self-development inherent in children,"

Speaking on the occasion Mr Rajendra S Pawar, chairman, NIIT Limited, said: "I believe that this innovation can have a profound impact on our society. The wide deployment of MIE technology can transform the lives of children of India and give them a better future."

Contact:
NIIT Ltd.
geetanjalis@niit.com
www.niit.com