All India Educational Movement

Concept of E-School
Equipped with E-learning tools+ Personality Development

Syyed Mansoor Agha*

Concept of online education (E-learning) is developing fast all over the world. More and more institutions are

coming up with various online courses. It is a convenient, cheap and time effective method of imparting education in a systematic way. By virtue of this technological breakthrough, LCD monitors and projector screens are replacing the old age black boards. One good teacher can take classed located in different places simultaneously, or on different times without repeating the exercise. This helps reduce the problem of availability of trained and dedicated teachers. Lessons are designed by experts and recorded in labs. Any lacuna noticed latter may be corrected and fresh information added.

Latest technologies, like flash player and power point etc are used to transmit the lessons and project images and voices through internet or from electronic devices in different forms in which lessons are already stored. With this technology your room may be converted into a class room and a class room may become live at your desired time though teacher is sitting on the next corner of the globe.

E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process. Fast advances continue in regard to devices and curriculum. Skype is the latest and most powerful tool. Through Web-cam camera students can interact live with their teacher and the teacher may see activities in class room from his place. An Information Technology (IT) Engineer of Bihar Mr. Chandrakant Singh has successfully executed the world class E-technology to teach students from distance places by virtue of Skype. He established a high-tech E-school in his native village Chamanpura in District Gopalganj in collaboration with a group IT Engineers. The school (C. 1^st to 7^th) in second year of its existence has 500 students. Amazingly six students, all from rural background cleared prestigious International Mathematics Olympiad this year.

Though the concept of E-learning is little older, E-School is latest. For E-learning a student needs only a computer but for E-School one needs a campus with facilities of E-learning. For all round development of student’s personality, a campus with class rooms, computer labs, hostels, wardens, trainers, instructors and facilities for sports and extracurricular activities is essential. Chamapura Public School fulfills all these requirements and may be taped as a model. Our education experts and IT Engineers must look if a model E-School, with Islamic atmosphere and world class education standards is feasible. An E-School may also be established in rural areas where land for bigger campus is far cheaper than in cities and towns. Internet connectivity has reached almost everywhere thanks to mobile phone service providers.

Online Islamic University Launched

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, who converted to Islam in 1972 and graduated from prestigious Islamic University of Mecca, has recently launched an Online Islamic University. This is claimed to be world’s first tuition-free online University with course of ‘Bachelor of Arts’ in Islamic Studies. Medium of instruction is English.

A press release of OIU (MG: 16-29 Feb) it is claimed that Dr. Phillip’s institution is running 24 diploma courses since 2007, in which above 50 thousand students from more than 200 countries are registered. The syllabus of B.A. course is based on curriculums’ of Madeenah University, KSA, Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan and Jamia Al-Azhar of Egypt. Six subjects will be offered each semester of 5 months, having an online mid-term exam and a supervised final online exam. Students will be free to access their classes whenever it is convenient for them, however assignments have to be turned in and exams (mid-term and finals) have to be taken at fixed times.

There are no fees for the courses. However registration fee for each semester will be realized. Detailed information about schedule of course, examinations, enrolment and structure of registration fee may be seen on www.islamiconlineuniversity.com or on www.iouindia.com. Registration for the semester (March 2012 - August 2012) has already begun. India office is located in Hyderabad (c/o Enlighten Educational Society, 23-2-94, Urdu Ghar Ist Floor, Moghalpura) Mobile +91 90007-77950. The registrar of the institution may be approached by email: registrar@islamiconlineuniversity.com.

*Writer is Vice President of AIEM. May be contacted: vpaiem.yahoo.com

(Picture: Saiyed Hamid, Founder President of AIEM (Extreme L), Syyed Mansoor Agha (Extreme R) with Abdul Rashid, former Sec. Govt of India and VP AIEM, Mozaffar Ali, Gen Sec Muslim Educational Trust in a consultative meeting at Jamia Hamdard)