From hole in South Delhi wall, computer programme goes Africa

“We have just started the project in Africa as well,” says an excited Raina Singh, group leader of the ‘Hole in the Wall’ education programme. “Ten centres have been set up in Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, Nigeria and Botswana.”

It’s been an eventful journey from a hole in the Dakshin Puri wall to Africa.

“When the first computer came, I thought it was a TV. I was quite disappointed that I couldn’t see any shows on it,” recalls Asraf, a Class VII student from the area. “Soon enough, I learned to play games on it, watch short movies on science, and even solve math problems. It really helped during exams.”

Recalling her first tryst with the programme, Rubina, a ninth-grader from a nearby girls’ school says, “I had a science exam the next day. And on my way home from tuition, I decided to have a look at what the computers had to offer.” Just a lark, but “ten marks came from what the computer told me. I knew I was going to do well.”

This, then, is not just another computer education classroom. The machines here aren’t kept under lock and key. Instead, they are available for free use, outside. “In 1999, Dr Sugata Mitra, chief scientist at NIIT, made a hole in the wall in our Kalkaji office and placed a computer with its control outside,” research associate Ritu Saxena says. “Within seconds children from adjoining areas flocked to the machine and began learning on their own — using a mouse and basic surfing.

“That’s the idea — to help children learn on their own.”

That was 2002. In seven years since, the project has been replicated in 135 locations across the country. “There has been a direct effect in areas where the machines have been placed — dropout rates have fallen in many schools, and more students have started enrolling,” Saxena says.