Cyberage scheme proving white elephant in Canacona

by ALBERT FERNANDES
Posted on 2008-10-12
POINGUINIM - The Cyberage scheme introduced by the Goa government to the students of higher secondaries in 2001 is gradually turning out to be a white elephant. Under the scheme students passing out of Class XI, are eligible for a branded personal computer at a fee of Rs 1000, which initially was Rs 500.
Initially, the scheme was meant for only science students. But in 2002 it was extended to students of all streams of Std XI.
The scheme started by the then Parrikar government seemed to bring excitement and satisfaction to the students to promote further education and encourage students into taking up higher studies. But the scheme is slowly losing its luster because the implementation has no quality.
As years pass by, the flaws in the scheme have started appearing, beginning with the quality of computers that are distributed. Everybody feels that the government cannot afford to distribute the best of computers but a reasonably good quality should be sought for.
A lot of students from the S S Angle Higher Secondary Mashem, Canacona have been on the receiving end of this great scheme.
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’, several students like, Selson Fernandes, Britto Rebello, Karishma Bandekar, Stacy Dias, Viraj Shinde, Vipul Bhat, Xavier Fernandes and Ackroyd Fernandes have expressed dissatisfaction as their computers have either developed major faults or Writer problem, UPS has been found non-operational no sooner the system was activated. Some of them even have found the accessories missing.
Apart from this another group of 30 students have complained that just weeks after the activation, this year, the problems started when the speakers completely failed or the system developed some snags.
When complaints were registered at the school level for further intimation to the suppliers, it is understood that complaints were not attended to. “What kind of a machine is this,” quipped a few of them who have dumped the same in their storerooms.
As per rule, after the computers were distributed, the suppliers issued a warranty card for one year, but when the same government-appointed computer customer service was called, prompt came the reply, “We’ll be there by next week.” But practically no one attended even after several complaints were made to the same people, said the group of 30-odd students.
The students further informed that they were given computers of Sahara and Acer brands but their hopes of using the machine constructively were dashed as the computers were found to be so bad and defective that just on the activation, the hopes of doing some work during the vacation went in doldrums.
When ‘The Navhind Times’ sought some suggestions from the principal of the higher secondary, Dr Narayan Desai, he felt that the intentions of the government in allotting the scheme is too good but the implementation needs a lot of attention.
He said the institutions have been just the delivery points, but there is no monitoring from the supply agency. Every computer should be activated by the government-appointed supply agency, but to the surprise of the students, nobody visited their homes till today, he regretted.
Dr Desai opined that when the computers were supplied, the government should have provided us with educational libraries, whereby the instructors could have guided the students on how to use and what type of programme could be worked upon.
He moreover added that when the government spends about Rs 28 crore annually, there is a need for a close monitoring on the system but in absence of this, the scheme indirectly appears to be a sort of distraction to the students and remarked that the Cyber age scheme could have done wonders if only the government did a little homework on its implementation.