Pratibha Poshak Cloud Academy (PPCA), an NGO working in the field of education, has selected 250 students from North Karnataka to train them for the national merit-cum-means scholarships. The number of students enrolled last year was 192.
They include students in ninth standard from Belagavi, Chikkodi, Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot, Haveri and Uttara Kannada.
This the first time that the NGO has expanded its activities into Uttara Kannada district.
Mathematically talented students studying in State government Kannada medium schools from all taluks of Karwar district are identified and provided free top-notch online education.
The students thus selected will undergo digital learning by means of a Tablet PC that can be used for the next four years, along with a data pack. They will sit through live digital classes by highly qualified teachers and mentors. They will be part of experiential learning through periodical outbound group activities called Pratibha Sammelan and Pratibha Milaap.
Rajalakshmi Children Foundation (RCF), that supports PPCA, will spend around ₹70,000 per student for two years that includes the cost of Tabs, salary of teachers and outbound activities.
In a simple ceremony in Kumta in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday, Deputy Director of Public Instruction N.G. Nayak distributed tablets to 28 students from the district.
RCF founder Shashikant Kulgod said that the objective is to look for talented students at the bottom of the pyramid and nurture them to achieve their full potential and become global leaders of tomorrow.
RCF co-founder Vijayalakshmi Kulgod said that the project will try to build digital bridges to address gaps in mainstream education.
PPCA founder Ravindra Guruvannavar said that the aim is to reduce the inequalities in education that is widening due to unequal access to digital resources and qualified subject teachers, especially in science and mathematics.
“We believe that talent is uniformly distributed around the world but opportunities are not. We, therefore, select students with potential and train them through innovative methods and activities. Most of the beneficiaries are from the under privileged communities,” said programme director Kirthi Shivakumar.
