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The Dewang Mehta Award for Innovation in Information Technology, 2003 will be presented, here on Tuesday, by Shri Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Technology to Dr. Sugata Mitra of Centre for Research in Cognitive Systems, NIIT, in recognition of his achievement, discovery of the pedagogy, science and technology of "Minimally Invasive Education". Often referred as "Hole in the wall" experiments, his work is acclaimed through out the world.
In an experiment conducted by Dr. Mitra, a computer connected to the Internet was embedded into a slum wall and left for unsupervised use by children. The experiment suggested that children, irrespective of their social, ethnic or educational identity, can learn to use computers by themselves, making the "digital divide" infructuous.
Dr. Mitra, through the use of technology for primary education and his invention of the public, play ground computer, has been able to identify new methods of learning that are economically viable and address enormous problems of infrastructure and teacher training in the developing world.
Spanned over nearly three decades, Dr. Mitra's work has been characterised by its widely interdisciplinary and holistic approach, integrating Physics, Energy, Education, Psychology and Systems Science. His contributions in these areas have led to several unique applications in many industries in India as well as other parts of the world.
RM/AMA- 100405 Dewang Mehta Award
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