New Delhi, February 16, 2009: After having bagged 4 Golden
Globe Awards & 7 BAFTA recognitions, Slumdog Millionaire, is pitted as a hot
favourite to win the Oscars on February 22, 2009- with 10 Academy Award
nominations under its belt.
The movie based on the book ‘Q&A’, written by Vikas Swarup is
originally inspired by Hole-in-the-Wall Education Ltd (HiWEL) initiative.
Based on the principle of Minimally Invasive Education technology, HiWEL
encourages learning through self exploration, by providing children in the slums
unsupervised access to computers with internet connection. Comprising of
computers installed through the walls in the slums- the Playground Learning
Centres, give children their own private window to access the knowledge of the
world.
Referring to HiWEL as the inspiration for his book Q&A, Vikas Swarup,
Deputy High Commissioner of India to South Africa and the author of the book
said, “My book is about hope, optimism and triumph of the human spirit.
I was inspired by the Hole-in-the-Wall project, where a computer with an
internet connection was put in a slum in Delhi. When the slum was revisited
after a month, the children of that slum had learnt how to use the worldwide web
without any supervision. That got me fascinated and I realised that there’s an
innate ability in everyone to do something extraordinary, provided they are
given an opportunity.”
The modestly budgeted movie, showcases the hopes and struggles of an orphan
in Mumbai, who rises from terrible hardship through a continued process of self
learning, to become a winner at the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire’.
HiWEL has also been awarded the coveted Digital Opportunity Award' by the
World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) in 2008. It is the
first Indian company to receive the award for its groundbreaking work in
developing computer literacy and improving the quality of education at a grass
root level.
About HiWEL
Based out of New Delhi in India, Hole-in-the-Wall Education Ltd. (HiWEL) is
a joint venture between NIIT Ltd. and the International Finance Corporation (a
part of The World Bank Group).
Coinciding with Republic Day in 1999, NIIT decided to do yet another
meaningful act for the society, by first testing this innovative technology in a
slum in South Delhi, located adjacent to one of its software factories. As an
experiment, a Hole in the Wall was made, through the centre’s compound wall and
a computer screen was installed, facing the slum. The effects were monitored by
the R&D lab located in-house. It was observed that children were doing a
number of interesting things with the computer, without any assistance. It was
haphazard, but it had a sense of discovery & learning. This laid the
foundation for further research which helped NIIT finally develop Playground
Learning Stations (PLS), to give children their own private window to access the
knowledge of the world.
Formally called Minimally Invasive Education, the experiment was replicated
in two other rural sites in the same year. The first adopter of the idea was the
Government of NCT of Delhi, which set up 30 Playground Learning Stations in a
resettlement colony by 2000.
With the formation of HiWEL in 2001, a national research program was
started, in which Learning Stations were set up in 23 locations across rural
India. In 2004, the Hole-in-the-Wall reached Cambodia through the Ministry of
External Affairs, Government of India.
Today, more than 300,000 children have benefited from 300 Hole-in-the-Wall
stations over last 8 years. The number is going to double with more than 200
stations being installed in 2009. Besides India, HiWEL also has projects in
African countries like Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland, Botswana,
Nigeria and in Cambodia.
What started with an experiment from a Hole in the Wall, has
now become India’s gift to the worldFor more information on the project visit
www.hole-in-the-wall.com
About NIIT Ltd
NIIT Ltd.- Asia’s No. 1 IT trainer
and leading Global Talent Development Corporation, offers learning and knowledge
solutions to over 5 million students across 40 countries.
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