Virtual Reality labs to make learning fun for govt school children in Telangana

State govt has decided to establish interactive and immersive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics VR labs at five govt schools

Hyderabad: It will not be just a chalk-and-board or smart-classroom teaching-and-learning experience in Telangana’s government schools from the next academic year. A Virtual Reality (VR) headgear will be there to help and assist students.

For instance, students will learn biology lessons — such as the functions of the heart and cell formation — by walking into them in a VR representation using immersive and interactive technologies.

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Bringing in the latest and advanced technologies to enhance the learning experience, the State government has decided to establish interactive and immersive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics VR labs at five government schools in the State.

As part of the pilot project, the lab in each school will be equipped with 20 VR headsets or headgear, 20 bean bags, one tablet each, a storage case and 1 KVA UPS. These labs are meant for teaching and learning general science, mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry for Classes V to X.

The VR headgear comes loaded with content that is mapped to the State curriculum. On wearing it, students will be able to learn the lessons in an interactive and 3D/5D mode. “So far, to explain the heart’s functions, teachers had to draw a heart diagram on the board. However, in the case of VR-based learning, on using the VR headgear, a 3D heart appears on the screen and students can watch and comprehend the functions of the organ with ease. The VR devices provide interactive and immersive learning experiences to students,” an official said.

For establishing the VR labs, the School Education Department has roped in the services of the Telangana State Technology Services Limited to select the service provider via a tendering process.