SARANYA P S Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is an 8th standard student in the Government V.H.S.S. Desamangalam at the time of filing this writ petition. The Government introduced the subject "information Technology" in Standard VIE and IX from the academic year 2003-04 onwards as a compulsory subject in High schools as part of secondary education. Ext.P2 is the order issued by the Government of Kerala introducing the said subject on the recommendation of the State Curriculum Committee."

(2.) The counsel for the Petitioner Sri. R. Surendran contended that since it is a compulsory subject introduced, it is the duty of the Government to provide necessary infrastructure like setting up of adequate computer laboratories for each school, creation of posts of adequate qualified teachers/instructors and allotting sufficient time for teaching without disturbing the other subjects which are also part of the curriculum. According to the petitioner, it was not fair on the part of the Government to burden the parent Teacher's Association to find out the funds necessary for setting up computer laboratories which involves lakhs of rupees for every school and leave the duty to teach the theory of the said subject to the class teachers who do not have the acquaintance with the computer related subjects.

(3.) The ever increasing demand for Information Technology professionals of various levels of competence, the emerging trend of e-commerce, e-governance and e-learning establish the dire need and responsibility to make I.T. skills a part of curriculum. The primary objective of introducing information technology as a subject is to improve the quality of education and to impart computer education to school students. In such a backdrop the Government approved project report for implementing the project named I.T @ School vide G.O (Rt) No. 297/2001/G.Edn dated 29-9-2001 and G.O(Rt) No. 4518/200l/G.Edn dated 7-12-2001. On a perusal of the project report it is evidently clear that the basic objective of the programme is to use information technology as a powerful tool for improving quality of the teaching and learning and also to include it as a curriculum subject to ensure that basic knowledge and skills are acquired by the students in a formal and systematic manner. It is in this context the D.P.I is directed to submit the proposal to Government to issue orders making I.T. a compulsory subject in standards VIII&IX from the academic year 2003-04 onwards and to prescribe methods of finding out four periods for this purpose. In the above circumstances the subject of information technology was made a compulsory subject for High School students which was and is the need of the hour and Government issued orders in this regard.