ISTE's award for transforming education

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) India, will give annual presidential awards for transforming education in private and government schools.

Addressing a press conference, Annamalai Muthiah, chairman, Future Schools Foundation, said that the first summit is to be held at Delhi in 2006 where the national awards will be announced as the outcome from the participation of schools in the district, state and national level.

Corporates will be roped in to fund for the awards. It will be their decision to determine the kind of support they will offer.

He cited examples of IBM, Microsoft and Cisco that provide funds for schools that transform education under their social programme.

The prize money,which will be given to the best school, will be contributed by corporates. Muthiah said that the school that wins the cash prize will have to give 50 per cent of the proceeds as investments to other schools in the community.

There were five categories identified "" schools affiliated to state board, central board, international board, built-open schools and special schools for physical challenged children. There will be two sub-groups under each categories for the developing as well as developed schools, Muthiah said.

There are 50 awards which will be given nationally for the best schools in the country as well as 50 awards for schools in each state, he added.

The initial nominations for the various award categories will be award categories will be made at district and state level by June 2005. Symposiums will be held starting with Chennai, followed by Coimbatore, Cochin, Bangalore, New Delhi and Dehradun.