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Satellite-based education system gets red signal
LAHORE, Nov 02, 2007: The Punjab Education Department has refused to adopt the satellite
based education system, recommended by the federal government, for financial
constraints, it is learnt on Thursday.
An official of the Education
Department, requesting not to be mentioned, said the federal government had
asked the Punjab Education Department to adopt the satellite based education
system and introduce on-air educational programmes for primary school students
across the province. ìFor the purpose, more than 11,000 radio sets were also
provided free a few years ago,î he added.
He said the department was
informed radios would be used for satellite based special educational programmes
for primary school students in the Punjab. ìFor the purpose, the department was
also asked to subscribe to different foreign companies, dealing in satellite
based educational programme,î he added.
The official maintained the
department was asked to bear subscription charges, but it expressed its
unwillingness to adopt the system, because of hefty charges. He said foreign
companies were demanding heavy amounts for the programme and that too
on monthly basis, owing to which the department expressed its inability
to launch the programme.
He said the federal government had bought
radios which would have cost a huge amount. He said the radios had been stored
in Government Pilot Secondary Schools (Boys), Wahdat Road, adding it was causing
a great problem to the school administration as they had occupied two classrooms
for more than four years.
When contacted, Punjab Secretary Education Syed
Khalid Akhlaq Gillani said the radios would soon be sent back to the federal
government, adding the programme was not suitable as it was quite
expensive.
He said it was not possible for the department to bear the
expenses involved in the satellite based educational programmes at primary
level, adding the foreign companies involved in the project were demanding a
huge amount of money as monthly subscription charges. The News
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