AGARTALA, September 12 (TIWN): A performance audit report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said that computer education to students in schools failed due to failure to achieve targets, unfulfilled objectives and lack of monitoring.The latest report from the CAG revealed that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) scheme implemented by the Education (School) Department till March, 2013 involved a cost of Rs. 21.90 crore.The implementation process was plagued by inordinate delay leading to non-achievement of targets, non-fulfillment of objectives, inadequate utilization, lack of monitoring, zero follow-up action on the report of NIT.

It further said that the state government failed to ensure proper capacity building of schools teachers as per prescribed in the scheme guidelines by arranging due training to the teachers.

“The School Education Department failed to continue the computer education programme after the agreement period”, the CAG report concluded adding that objectives of computer education to students and training to teachers using information and computer technology didn’t yield results as envfisaged in the scheme.

The scheme ‘Information and Communication Technology’ (ICT) was launched by the Government of India in schools around the country to provide opportunities to secondary stage students to build capacity on ICT skills and impart teaching and readings through computer aided learning processes.

Tripura’s ruling Left Front government implemented the scheme in 400 high and higher secondary schools for providing Computer Aided Learning (CAL) to students from the sixth standard to eighth standard and computer education to students from the ninth to twelfth standard under Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model.

Private agencies were engaged for the job through open tender who would be responsible for supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the computer hardware.

The CAG report adds that the Project Management and Evaluation Group of the MHRD repeatedly informed the state government since November, 2007 till November, 2010 that the Ministry of Telecommunications had assured to provide broadband connections in priority to all high schools. The Ministry asked the states to take up the matter with the Department of Telecom (DoT) and state BSNL units.

“The state government of Tripura didn’t take up the issue of providing broadband connectivity with the DoT and the local BSNL authority”, the report reads.

The report went on to add that the Department of School Education, Government of Tripura, extended undue benefits to the implementing agencies selected through open tender by not incorporating all provisions contained in the bid documents in the agreements.

The performance audit found that items in the equipments were not even tested prior to finalizing the agreement.