n order to keep up with the trends in the field of education and also to adopt digital teaching the state education department is renaming its education programme as Jalad Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra (Fast Foward Maharashtra Educational Program). Earlier, the programme was called as Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra (Progressive Educational Maharashtra)
According to the state education department there are 7.25 lakh teachers in Maharashtra and only 48,611 teachers have declared themselves as tech savvy. Government want all those teachers who have declared themselves as tech savvy to take responsibility to make schools digital. The reason behind changing the name of this program is to ensure schools get upgraded and achieve the of becoming digital school soon. Education department wants schools to either buy interactive boards or projectors. Since every person has a mobile phone, the government feels that no teacher should say that they are not tech savvy. They want schools to provide every student a tablet which are easily available.
Prashant Redij, Secretary Mumbai Principal Association, said, "In Mumbai almost 90% schools are digital with projector, interactive boards in schools and classrooms. But in rural area where there are no such equipments we feel that the local representatives like corporator, MLA, MPs should help schools from their funds to bring technology in schools."
Rahul Suvarna, Senior Advocacy, Masoom NGO, said, "More then getting technology in schools it is important that the schools staff is trained to handle those equipments and maintain these technical equipments. Because in 50 per cent of schools when computers were brought for Information Communication and Technology (ICT) subjects they were not maintained by schools. Schools can take help of corporate companies that do CSR activities to bring those technology to digitise their classrooms if they cannot afford to buy those technical equipments."