Government to digitize expensive textbooks, give computers and freenet to teachers

A scheme that could change the face of higher education in the country, the Government is planning to make expensive textbooks available to students in a free digital format.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has indicated that it is willing to share the cost with publishers of digitising study material for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Under the proposed agreement, the Government would compensate the publishers for any losses they might incur.
The Ministry is also considering setting up its own database, which would have top journals of the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science.
The government is even willing to pay half of what it would take to provide a computer to every teacher in the 18,000 colleges across the country.
In fact, the University Grants Commission would provide free Internet connections to institutes, which take up this offer. Also, teachers who provide online coaching to students would be remunerated for their services.