Free tablets for students of classes 10-12: Haryana Education Minister

(Representative image) Tablet computers have been here since 2010, the year Steve Jobs took the wraps off the first Apple iPad.

Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal said free tablets will soon be given to students of Classes 10 to 12 across the state. The government has decided to purchase five lakh tablets, which will be given to the students studying in Classes 10 to 12 in the upcoming academic session.

A total of Rs 620 crore will be spent to buy these tablets, he said while replying to a question during the ongoing budget session of Haryana Assembly here. He said tablets with preloaded content along with personalized and adaptive learning software and free internet data will be provided to the students by May this year.

The scheme aims to bridge the gap in digital education of most of the children studying in government schools, who are from economically weaker and deprived sections and who are not able to buy devices like smartphones and tablets. The Education Minister said digital material, e-books, various types of test videos and study material related to class-wise syllabus in government schools will be available on the tablets which will be given to these students.

Meanwhile, in response to another question, Urban Local Bodies Minister Kamal Gupta said the state government has decided to regularize 845 colonies falling within the limits of municipalities with less civic amenities and infrastructure.

For this, applications were invited from the Resident Welfare Association and developers on the portal by the Town and Country Planning Department, he said.