Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and (above) Indian Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 24: The higher education department has approached premier institutes such as Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and Jawaharlal Nehru University to hold classes that could be beamed to classrooms at 60 junior colleges in the state.

The Edusat facility of the Indian Space Research Organisation provides satellite links to selected schools and colleges across the country for this purpose.

IIT, Bombay, has already announced its decision to organise classes under the Edusat programme. The sessions are interactive and students can ask questions to the faculty members of the prestigious institutes to get their doubts cleared. The department has contacted IIT, Bombay, which will soon use this facility to connect with colleges across the country.

While lectures can be up-linked to the satellite, colleges can connect to the satellites with their respective systems to receive live lectures.

“We have contacted the institute because they are already implementing the project and have the technical know-how,” said Mihir Das, who heads the virtual classroom project.

“This project will facilitate college students in the interior areas of the state to access quality education. It will also help the state government solve the crisis of teacher shortage,” he said.

The state government has also approached IIT, Kharagpur, and JNU to help the state with such virtual classroom projects, said an official.

Bibhu Dash, who is in charge of the Edusat programme in the state, said deliberations were on with the higher education department for executing the project.

“The programme can be conducted with the existing facility. Since live transmissions for the schools begin after noon, the studio and other equipment can be used for transmission to colleges in the morning,” Dash said.

According to the plans, 60 colleges — two from each district — will be connected to Edusat in the first phase. These colleges will be supplied with equipment required to link to the satellite.

The authorities are also trying to make a list of good teachers to deliver lectures for these virtual sessions. Efforts are also on to get vendors for supply of the equipment. The department has formed a six-member committee for smooth implementation of the project.

The programme started for schools in 2009. The Edusat team provides live classes on mathematics, science and English at 217 schools of the state.