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Computer provides release for Indian slum dwellers
The “Hole in the Wall” project simply came about when a computer was installed in the side wall of an office of NIIT (a global talent-development corporation and international finance corporation) next to a Delhi slum in India.
When the slum was revisited a month later, the children of that slum had learnt how to use the worldwide web.
NIIT has formed ‘Hole in the Wall Education Ltd’ (HiWEL), which is now a pedagogy that generates adequate level of motivation to induce learning in children, with minimal intervention by a teacher.
Children learn to use the computer on their own within a few weeks, and go on a higher learning curve in their classes.
Computers are normally set up in the playground of the school or at booths in public areas. This setting requires the children to self-organise and to learn from peers in a fun environment, which leads to development of personality traits, like team skills, leadership abilities and communication.
A press release from the Indian High Commission states that the Playground Computer Learning Center (PLC) is an extremely rugged hardware which allows children to access computers without supervision in an unrestricted manner, without running the risk of damaging the computers and accessories.
A PLC was placed in an urban slum, and it was found that slum children quickly learned to operate the computer without instruction but through experimentation, and loved computer games, including educational games.
The PLCs are equipped with special software to remotely monitor and keep a record of the progress of children. This allows the researchers to analyse the utilisation of computers by children, and thus determine the impact made by the learning station.
It was also equipped with very rich academic content, including encyclopedias, K12 content for English, Math and Science.
According to the press release, the edutainment games and puzzles attract the children and make them learn while they play games.
Today, HiWEL has impacted on more than 300,000 children in urban slums and rural areas in the most remote parts of India, Africa and Cambodia through its more than 400 learning stations.
(Fareeza Haniff)
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