An ICT-based Network

Expert Centre Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University

Belur Math, Howrah 711 202 Tel: (033) 2654 9999

www.vivekdisha.in

E-mail: vivekdisha.belur@gmail.com

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Inspiration: Swamiji’s Vision

Swami Vivekananda felt that his vision of a new India

combining the hoary spiritual heritage of the East and the modern science and technology of the

West could be actualized by the hard work of a dedicated band of youth fired with a spirit of selfless

service. He had a comprehensive plan for community development, both urban and rural, integrating the best

elements of the East and the West. He gave a new

philosophy of work for the modern world. One of the important principles Swami Vivekananda learned from

his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, was Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva—‘service to living beings looking upon them as veritable

embodiments of the Divine’.

VIVEKDISHA: An ICT-based Network VIVEKDISHA is an information and communication technology (ICT) –based network

of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Belur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. It is providing a single window –based services like online education from secondary

to undergraduate level, online teachers’ training, Spiritual Heritage programmes, telemedicine services and research programmes.

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VIVEKDISHA Network: At present we have 22 VIVEKDISHA centres in West Bengal for Online

and offline education, teachers training and other activities. The

University has the provision to connect twenty five centres for

videoconferencing through Internet Broadband facility

anywhere at anytime on the globe. The centre at University, Belur Math

is the Expert Centre, while the other centres in West Bengal and other

areas are participating centres. The distribution of the Vivekdisha

Centres in West Bengal is wide

enough to cover a greater part of the State of West Bengal—from Tufanganj, in the north of the state, to the Sundarban region in the south, and to the district of

Bardhaman in the west. All the Vivekdisha Centres are located in the branch centres of Ramakrishna Mission or in places where ex-students/devotees of Ramakrishna Mission

run centres with dedication to the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology.

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Online classes are conducted mainly from the University Expert Centre

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Programmes of VIVEKDISHA

Online education : Class 6 to Graduation

Subjects- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Life Science, Communicative English, Value Education

Offline education : Communicative English, History, Geography, Value Education Online Examinations

Recording and Uploading of Teaching videos Tele-medicine services

Research in education and other areas Spiritual Heritage programmes mainly for International Audience

Teachers’ training and workshops Creation of Book Bank at different centres

Asansol Kamarpukur

Medinipore Nimpith

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VIVEKDISHA Website:

We are glad to announce that VIVEKDISHA Website is now available to access. Its address is www.vivekdisha.in. This site has some special features like: 1. Some old photographs are used in connection with Sri Ramakrishna’s life to have the feelings of Sri Ramakrishna’s time. 2. Cross references of different books related to Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji have been added. 3. The site is having bilingual nature i.e. in English and in Bangla. 4. Online Examinations- This site is providing opportunities to students to have practice tests for different subjects at different levels. Moreover, institutions and teachers can set their questions for specific examinations which will be available only on specific date and time of examinations. The questions can be set in English and in any Indian languages. Students of schools, colleges and University can take advantages of it. 5. 3600 Studio - providing a panoramic view of a place. 6. Teaching videos- some edited videos of our online classes are available here.

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Installation of equipment on first day at Begampur School

Chakdwipa School

Installation of equipment on first day at Chakdwipa School

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Tele-education Tele-education is the use of information and communication technology to provide online and offline education. In today’s world, education is needed for sustainable

development. Tele-education encompasses a new vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating and enjoying a

sustainable future. As the world is gradually becoming more and more connected, ICT-based teaching practices in education are being extensively used and emphasized,

although face-to-face meetings or synchronous interaction in real time are still required

to supplement asynchronous and independent learning, if more effective learning is to take place. ICT facilitates a high level of interaction among students and the teacher,

with the aid of multimedia-based materials. Hence, communication can be dynamic between the teachers and students through video-conferencing.

ICT-based learning offers greater diversity of learning goals, projects, activities, and exercises than traditional classroom learning. Also it allows the learners to make full

use of their own multiple cognitive abilities and conative powers. In the ICT-based teaching-learning process, teachers and students alike are enthused because teaching

becomes more dynamic, expanding their vision and making available high quality study materials. Moreover, teachers are motivated to teach more creatively and to exchange

lesson plans and pedagogical strategies with their colleagues all over the globe even on a day to day basis.

Multimedia-based teaching is in progress at

Belur math Expert Centre

Masat Aptap Mitra High School,

Hooghly

Nawabganj Balika Vidyalaya,

North 24 Paraganas

Rajendra Smriti Vidyalaya,

Konnagar, Hooghly

Begampur High School,

Hooghly

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VIVEKDISHA online class seen at remote centres

Teacher taking class from our online school

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What exactly happens in an online class?

A teacher teaches using a digital notepad or multimedia presentation prepared by using computer software. This is transmitted simultaneously to all the centres logged in to the University Expert Centre. In these centres the students are able to see and hear the teacher, the multimedia presentation, the notepad as well as students at other centres who are also participating in the online class. At the same time, the teacher at the University Expert centre or anywhere on the globe can see and hear all the participating centres. It is a virtual class room whose boundaries are not defined! It makes a vibrant interactive virtual classroom environment for the teacher and students at various geographically isolated centres.

Online class for multiple centres is in progress

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Tele-education : Our Programs

The VIVEKDISHA network run by Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University has taken up the following educational programmes:

Online education : Class 6 to Graduation

Subjects- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Life Science, Communicative English,

Value Education

Offline education : Communicative English, History, Geography, Value Education

Online Examinations

Recording and uploading of Teaching videos

Publication of concept-based books

Research in education, telecommunication and other areas

Spiritual Heritage programme for International Audience

Teachers’ training and workshops

Creation of Book Bank at different centres

Telemedicine

Telemedicine technology makes it possible for doctors at a hospital or an Expert Centre

to examine, advise and direct the treatment of patients in remote centres. The technology gives rural residents access to medical specialists who are not often

available in remote areas. This saves the patient the cost of travelling to the doctor for advice and treatment and also allows family members to participate in the discussions.

The specialist service may involve general diagnosis of disease, dermatology, orthopaedics, pathology, etc. This technology can also be used to provide follow-up

care for patients who have had surgical interventions. This service will also help the non-specialist and local doctors to gain advanced knowledge that would enable them

to treat their patients better.

Breaking the digital divide in the rural front: Swami Vivekananda was a unique modern saint in India who equated service of living

beings, especially the poor and the downtrodden, with worship of the Divine. He stated boldly: 'He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak and the diseased, really worships

Shiva; and … with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.' It was Swami Vivekananda who coined the word daridra-narayana to refer

to the poor and the afflicted. Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University is making humble efforts to infuse in the youths this attitude and feeling for the poor and the

underprivileged through the VIVEKDISHA Network.

(a) Knowledge as the catalyst: The catalyst for change and empowerment is information and knowledge. Access to

relevant information gives people opportunities to develop and better their lives. In

turn it helps family, society and the nation at large to strengthen the development process. Moreover, the ability to share information on a level playing field helps all to

overcome barriers of isolation and encourages exchange and collaboration.

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(b) Growing tele-density in India: 72% of India’s

national population consists of people

living in rural areas. However, it is a

matter of pleasant wonder that the

country now had nearly 1174.8 million

wireless and wireline users at the end of

January 2014. In India during January

2017 the urban tele

density was 169.39% and the rural tele

density was 56.08%. The telecom sector is

trying to emphasize affordability,

focussing particularly on rural India. This

will enable the country to bridge the tele-density gap between rural and urban India. Vivekdisha in its small capacity providing the facilities of online classes even to

remote rural areas where stable broadband connectivity with a minimum 512 kbps speed is available.

On-going Activities: The regular transmission

of various programmes through the

VIVEKDISHA Centres has generated great

enthusiasm besides opening up enormous

possibilities for the all-round development

of the locality in which these centres are

situated. Programmes are transmitted from the

University Expert

Centre at Belur Math with unerring regularity.

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Online classes: Salient Features of our programmes: Physics, Chemistry,

Mathematics, Biology, Value Education and Communicative English for students of Classes six to twelve are

taught mostly through multimedia presentations

i.e. through texts, pictures, animations, real visual clips,

video recordings from laboratory or operation

theatres.

a) Classes are held in

Bangla or in English, for the students of Classes six to

twelve in an interactive mode for the benefit of

participants. In case of

higher classes the medium of instruction is English.

b) ICT tools like PC, laptop,

LCD monitor, camera, digital notepad, projectors, audio system, many software etc. are used to make the

teaching-learning process not only more

effective, but more joyful and fruitful as

well.

c) Interactions and discussions give the

learners certain inputs

that take them to a slightly higher level

than the classes in which they are

presently studying.

d) The technique of tackling questions and

the art of writing precise and relevant

answers are also highlighted with examples.

Multimedia based presentation and students seen on Teacher’s Desktop

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e) Students are

encouraged to ask

questions till they gain a proper

understanding of the topic under

discussion.

f) Teachers from different institutions

are giving free service.

g) The time table is

modified/expanded according to the

feedback received

from different stakeholders

especially students.

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Youth Interaction across various regions:

It has become a fashion, and perhaps an obsession, among the youth to communicate

with one other and exchange views through the internet and other online devices that

are now freely available.

These devices doubtless

have their vicious

influences, but cannot be

totally avoided. In tune

with Swami

Vivekananda’s thoughts,

these very devices could

be turned into agencies

for positive and elevating

thinking and education if

the youth could be

properly guided. The

online networking

involving the youth that

we are trying to building

up, which may be called

the Youth Thought Exchange Programme Initiative, is a step towards building bridges

of national and international level understanding.

Sometimes a bunch of

kids can accomplish

more in a small amount

of time than a country

can achieve in decades.

Students in our online

classes belonging to

different regions of our

State and different

States of our country get

the feeling of

brotherhood and unity

through interactions with

a large community of

eager students all

studying together under

one particular teacher

and sharing the same study material. The common focus being science or humanities

education blended with value education, these students unconsciously form a bond of

understanding which is a powerful tool to remove their misconceptions of caste,

regional, linguistic and religious prejudices and bias gathered through wrong and

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negative education. We may hope one day our online students will be able to contribute

a positive step towards regional, national and world peace. In this system, the students

are given a wonderful opportunity to spread their wings to grow with liberal attitudes

by taking their lessons regularly with the students of other parts of the state.

Spiritual Heritage Programme for International Audience: Vivekdisha is trying to cater the need of the devotees residing in faraway places from their homelands. At present devotees of Sri Ramakrishana are joining the bilingual

class on “Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita” (The Gospel of

Sri Ramakrishna) from different countries like

Canada, United Arab Emeritus (Dubai, Abu Dhabi,

Sharja, Dubai), United States of America (Cleveland,

Pennsylvania, Fargo). One of the overwhelming

statements made by a devotee after attending the

initial class is:

“It is just past noon on a

Saturday afternoon. I am in my home in Pennsylvania - thousands of miles away from Belur Math....... not

really..... I am just a click away from attending a live on-line class on my favorite book Kathamrita by Sri M (Sri Mahendranath Gupta). I will soon get to hear Sri

Ramakrishna’s Amritavani not just read out to me but also expounded upon by Swami Atmapriyanandaji, the Vice Chancellor of Vivekananda University.

Technology, the yearning of the

monks of the Order to serve the needs of devotees in faraway lands

and the desire of the Bhaktas (devotees) to know more about our

Beloved Thakur has made it possible for us to share in this

enchanting experience. Kathamrita

is becoming a wonderful source of Satsang for so many of us Guru

brothers and sisters (disciples) sitting in different parts of the

world. What better Satsang can we ask for but to hear Kathamrita

directly from a Monk of the Ramakrishna Order? Thank you

Thakur for blessing us with this wonderful opportunity to be here in

this world at this time and partake of Your words, thoughts, actions and divine guidance on-line!”

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(An ICT– based Network)

Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University

Time Table : Afternoon and Evening (w.e.f. 4.1.2017)

11.00-12.00

12.10-

12.50

12.50-

1.30

2.15-

2.55

2.55-

3.30

3.30-

4.00 Evening/ Night

MON

LSc 10A

PSc 8A PSc 9A

CE 9A

CE 10B

TUE

11.00-12.00

NEET BIO 11

(English

Medium)

PSc 7A

LSc 9A

Scienc

e 6A

LSc 8B

WED

11.45-12.45

Foundation Sc for Cl 9

(English Medium)

PSc 10B LSc 9B

CE 9B

CE 10A

THU

PSc

10A

Science

6B

PSc 7B

LSc 8A

FRI

PSc 8B

PSc 9B LSc

10B

SAT

12.00-1.30

Teachers’

workshop

(on specific dates)

10.15 - 11.15 pm

Spiritual

Heritage for

International

Audience

SUN

CE = Communicative English

Tentulia High School Bergram Palli Sevaniketan High School (HS)

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Results in Secondary Examination 2017:

Online Student Attendance (approx) March 2017

Class

Centres

Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls BSc Boys Girls Students

Rural

1 Kamarpukur 122 110 110 90 432

2 Begampur 120 110 105 120 118 573

3 Chakdwipa 108 78 72 82 91 105 92 71 71 79 849

4 Balarampur 75 90 81 93 78 113 105 99 61 81 876

5 Bergram 90 87 95 79 75 70 160 134 97 60 947

6 Palashipara 221 188 198 327 266 1200

7 Nasigram 55 64 42 37 31 229

8 Nimpith 40 40 40 40 40 200

9 Dasagram 94 92 87 94 74 441

10 Borai 14 28 22 22 20

11 Jarura 20 15 20 15 20 15 20 15 20 15

Total 823 284 884 297 846 325 1105 341 868 255 4526 1502 5747

Urban

12 Asansol 123 120 118 112 130 603

13 Medinipur 113 118 107 87 137 562

14 Tufanganj 160 150 150 160 140 760

15 Taki 100 79 84 263

16 Tentulia 105 141 169 194 151 760

17 Nawabganj 55 34 36 71 66 262

18 Masat 70 75 70 72 70 75 55 75 69 96 727

19 Nabagram 191 189 180 224 122 906

20 Konnagar 64 64 50 60 60 298

21 Apeejay, Kolkata 60 22 82

22 RKM Vidyamandira 14 14

Total 826 130 852 106 944 111 1031 168 893 162 14 4560 677 5237

International Sites

Male Female

12 11 12 11 23

Total 11007

Spiritual Heritage

10 Total6 7 8 9

Results of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (2017):

Class X

Online Classes

Ramakrishna

Mission Schools

Students

appeared

1st

Division

(above

60%)

2nd

Division

(above

45%)

3rd

Division

Star

Mark

(above

75%)

Above

90%

Highest

Marks

State

Ranks

(Out of 700)

Asansol 90 90 90 76 679

Kamarpukur 100 94 6 66 21 685 6th

Midnapore 103 103 101 69 676

Taki 71 71 58 8 661

Total 364 358 6 315 174

* Marks mentioned in Aggregate.

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Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations 2016: A few students who studied in Vivekdisha online classes up to class 10 got chance in State Engineering and Medical Colleges. Three out of four students who studied only

for Medical Entrance Examinations in Vivekdisha online classes were selected for reputed Medical Colleges in the country.

Results of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (2017):

Class X

Grades & Highest Marks in different Science subjects

Ramakrishna Mission High School, Asansol

AA A+ A B+ B TotalHighest

Marks

(90-100) (80-89) (60-79) (45-59) (<45) Students (H.M.)

Mathematics 82 6 2 90 100 21

Phy. Science 76 12 2 90 100 8

Life Science 61 27 2 90 99 1

Ramakrishna Mission Vidyabhavan, Midnapore

Mathematics 89 5 6 2 1 103 100 34

Phy. Science 87 8 5 3 0 103 100 6

Life Science 94 8 1 0 0 103 100 5

Kamarpukur Ramakrishna Mission Multipurpose School

Mathematics 46 19 23 12 0 100 100 12

Phy. Science 29 18 36 15 2 100 100 1

Life Science 47 30 23 0 0 100 99 1

Taki Ramakrishna Mission High School

Mathematics 32 21 14 4 71 100 7

Phy. Science 27 12 32 71 98 2

Life Science 31 28 12 71 99 1

Grades/

Marks

No. of

students

got

H.M.

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Content Generation: (a) For School and college education: Content generation is one of the key factors in teaching science, Value Education and communicative English. The contents

published in print media cannot be updated in a short span of time, but in the case of

ICT-based content, easy and swift revision and updating are made possible through

circulation of content both to the learners and to other experts/professionals in the

field of science teaching, Value Education and communicative English, who can make

suggestions for updating information.

To promote the attitude of participative and

interactive teaching and learning and to use ICT tools effectively to achieve development goals,

the content should be tailored to the particular needs of the users and relevant to the specific

cultures and languages of targeted communities. This is a special need of the hour.

The contents of the multimedia presentations of different science subjects were mostly

developed in the local language of Bangla in order to fulfil the local need in West Bengal.

Sometimes video clippings shown during the lessons were in English to help the students

strengthen their command of that language while learning science

subjects in an easy and entertaining manner. The content of the lessons

was developed more or less according

to the syllabus of the West Bengal Board or universities in West Bengal

though the syllabi of other boards were consulted and relevant study materials

were also incorporated. Care was also taken to motivate all types of students

and to develop in them an inner urge to learn more and to grasp the ideas

presented after careful thought. During the content development process, feedback and views were taken from experts in the

relevant fields.

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(b) Development of Multimedia-based Study Materials with Special Focus on

Higher Values of Life: Multimedia based study materials for different science

subjects, communicative English, etc., are being prepared and constantly upgraded

keeping in view the value education aspect by incorporating positive ideas based on

Swamiji’s teachings.

Swamiji’s ideas on

various subjects and

various aspects of life

are being included as

integral parts of

regular class lessons

to increase the

awareness of the

students as well as to

familiarize them with

Swamiji’s unique

insights and ideas in

areas of science. To

bring the quality of

the study materials

at par similar

materials at the

international level, many internationally reputed books, articles have been consulted.

To foster the spirit of

scientific enquiry in the

students, many visual

clips of laboratory

experiments and

animations of different

processes or theories

have been incorporated

within the study

materials. We have

presented these study

materials to a large

cross-section of teachers

and discussed with the

contents with them.

Experienced teachers of

Ramakrishna Mission

schools and other institutions have been consulted and their views incorporated in these

study materials thus prepared.

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Distress Relief Works: We have received different types of garment from a reputed company for distribution mainly for students. So far we have distributed 930 shirts, 238 trousers, 227 sweaters, 36 sweatshirts and 57 jackets to 855 male beneficiaries and 714 tops, 334 trousers, 497 sweaters, 134 jackets and 115 dresses to 878 female beneficiaries belonging to Bergram, Nawabganj, Tentulia, Masat, Konnagar, Belur, Salkia, Ichapur areas.

Value Education: Inculcation of higher human values is one important objective of the VIVEKDISHA Project, particularly in the youth.

Values imbibed and practised in one’s own life makes life

valuable and living joyous. To inculcate the attitude of

practising higher ideals in life and to influence young minds

right from the school days,

VIVEKDISHA has taken up this value education programme,

which used multimedia presentations to illustrate

Ramakrishna-Vivekananda teachings for students of various

age groups, followed by a lively interactive session. Spiritual

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classes have also been conducted for youth and adults at various centres through

videoconferencing from the Expert Centre at University. Value education books are introduced through creation of Book Banks at different

schools and also taken up as rapid readers at different classes to promote values in life.

Bringing out Integrated Science Text Books with modern ideas:

We are keenly scrutinizing science books that have been published at the secondary and higher secondary levels, and trying to eliminate and correct certain fundamental

errors that have crept into them and unfortunately perpetuated for decades on end. We are trying to put our expertise in the field of Physical and Life Sciences to rectify

such fundamental errors by drawing attentions to many professors, teachers, authors and administrative personnel of various universities, colleges, schools and educational

bodies. We already met the Head of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and given him written request letter along with corrected study materials in Science

subjects which are to be incorporated in the Science text books approved by the Board and in the proposed books to be published by the Board itself in the coming session.

This year (2014) science text books for classes 6 to 8 are published by West Bengal

Board of Secondary Education accepted our most of corrections for these classes.

Publication of a concept-based Science book for Secondary students: Building Science Concepts VIVEKDISHA has published a book on Science of

International standard in Bangla to build students’ science concepts with an integrated approach to

various subjects the students learn at the secondary

level. This book is also tool for the teachers at secondary level in the following way:

To refresh one’s science understanding of the topic and to gain awareness of potential misconceptions that the students may bring to

the topic To use the thoughtful questions in the book to

find out what the students already think and why they think that

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To use the concepts to decide

what the students need to think about next

To select lab demonstrations mentioned in the book that will

support the intended learning of the young learners

The pedagogical ideas behind

publication of this book is based on research and experience to how

children learn. Reading about and

reflecting on these ideas will be useful for all teachers of science regardless

of whether or not they are using this book.

Workshops with Teachers at several places:

Educational expectations and curricula are constantly evolving. Advances in technology require new skills and offer new ways of learning, both in school and later

in a complex and changeable socio-economic situations. Professional development helps teachers keep up with those changes and pass them on to their students.

Professional development for one teacher benefits the entire school by bringing fresh ideas, insights and enthusiasm to everyone.

Good teachers become great teachers by

going beyond the call of duty and beyond

the textbook. To do this, he or she must

continue their education. Our workshops

with teachers intended to provide the

teachers extra help to equip them better

motivated teachers. Our workshops also

‘Vivekdisha Vijyankatha (Volume 2)’ was published by the Chairman, ISRO while General Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission was present in the function

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provide an opportunity to understand how to integrate technology into the classroom

and how to make it cross curricular.

Online Teachers’ Training:

Nowadays one of the key components of educational reform effort has been that effective professional development which in turn help ‘to transform and restructure

quality schools’. Much of the available research on professional development involves its relationship

to student achievement. Researchers differ on the degree of this relationship. There are several factors

which greatly influence the teaching- learning

scenario in the school are overall school

environment, teacher,

level of understanding of the students, parent

and community involvement,

instructional strategies, classroom

management, curriculum design,

student background knowledge, and student

motivation. Based upon a review of several

studies, Marzano (2003) concluded that the professional development activities experienced by teachers have a similar impact on student achievement to those of

the aforementioned variables. Our everyday online Teachers’ training programme is a real demonstration of

teaching methods, screening and selection process of contents and integration of the

contents with various other topics and above all innovative methods of building up of

the concepts among the students.

The exchange of one-to-one suggestions and guidance between two teachers can be

an excellent opportunity for new teachers to benefit from their mentor's experience

and experienced teachers to add new skills and knowledge to their repertoire.

Professional development can be a solo effort, too. Books, magazine articles and

lesson plan packages provide a resource and reference for teachers. We put emphasis

on all these to motivate the teachers to have self confidence in teaching with more

creativity and innovativeness to address the need of their students including first

generation learners.

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Online Life Science Teachers Workshops:

VIVEKDISHA wants to promote excellence in concept-based and innovative teaching in all subjects including science, mathematics and language. Implementing and

supporting these types of teaching are rooted in engaging students to use core ideas of the topics and crosscutting concepts to explain phenomena or solve problems.

These require changes in teachers’ professional learning. To encourage

teachers to take greater ownership of

the reforms to a large extent will depend on their leadership

capabilities. These capabilities of all the teachers will impact and ultimately

shape the school with its modern outlook.

Leading a paradigm shift in thinking

and practice of any magnitude is a

challenge that requires leadership

based on hope, trust, faith, and civility

from all the teachers and support from

school administrators.

What’s the best thing about this online Life science Teachers meet? The teachers, of

course! To meet teachers of

different schools urban and rural,

to share the ideas of concept-

based and innovative teaching

ideas and also to understand the

role that multimedia-based

VIVEKDISHA online education

plays for students. Through this

meeting we are assisting

teachers in the process of

building capacity to bring a

positive change in teaching-

learning methods. The goal is to

get others involved in learning

and creating so that the workload is shared. This process of new initiative in a school

need to be integrated with teaching of various subjects and co-curricular activities

and not just science teaching.

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Creation of Book Banks in different Schools:

Putting quality books in the hands of the children who need them most

In some of the schools joining in our online classes

having more than sixty percent of children live in low-income households. Most of these children

have no age-appropriate books at home, and the classrooms and courses they attend are woefully

under-resourced. Approximately two-thirds of these school children cannot afford to buy books at

retail prices.

VIVEKDISHA has pioneered groundbreaking

channels to provide quality books and educational resources for free to schools serving children in

need.

We provide teachers and school administrators with greater access to high-quality books that

otherwise would not be available to them. Through

Book Banks created by VIVEKDISHA in different schools, educators can create enriched learning experiences

for their students, and the children can enjoy an ongoing

supply of wonderful quality books for their joyful learning.

Outcomes for Children:

Several months’ longitudinal study of students at different

schools found that books

provided through Book Banks:

1. Improves interest in reading- Students

demonstrating a 'high interest' in reading after

getting books and regular help from the teachers.

2. Increases children's reading skill- School teachers are observing books from VIVEKDISHA were "very important" in children’s inclination to read more and

improve their reading skills.

Outcomes for Schools: A general survey of our Book Banks shows:

1. Increases educational opportunities- The books given from VIVEKDISHA would allow them to increase educational opportunities or activities, including parent

involvement.

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2. Increases productive use of time- Study shows that regular classes as well as

provisional classes can be more productive if given the opportunity to distribute books kept as resources in VIVEKDISHA Book Banks.

Paper presented at National Conference on Communications 2013 and

accepted in IEEE:

A paper named ‘Bridging the Digital Gap in Rural India: VIVEKDISH- A Novel

Experience’ which was accepted

and presented in the National Conference on Communications

2013 at IIT Delhi. This has also been accepted in the

digital library of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Xplore (IEEE xplore).

Mr. Partha Goswami, IIT Khargpur, co-author of the paper presented our

paper at the National Conference of Communications 2013

International Programmes:

To address widening health and social inequalities, VIVEKDISHA at Ramakrishna

Mission Vivekananda University (RKMVU), Belur Math, and the Global HealthShare®

(GHS) initiative at the University of California, Davis (UCD) have begun a novel

partnership to improve public health education and outreach efforts and to promote

research that will contribute to nutritional health and increased food security in rural,

low-income regions adversely impacted by climate change and seasonal disasters.

School of Life Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA

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Salient features of our present International Programmes:

Create new partnerships between RKMVU and UCD faculty, researchers, and

students, laying the groundwork for future interdisciplinary collaborations

Promote cultural exchange and bidirectional learning between international

groups

Understand the influence of culture on the practice of global health, health

education, and outreach

Promote nutritional health, food security, and an upgraded standard of living in

rural communities, through the use of innovative education and training

technologies

Faculty Exchange Programme with University of California, Davis, USA:

Dr Rupak Goswami, Assistant Professor of our University visited University of California

(October-November 2013) as a part of faculty exchange

programme taken up in VIVEKDISHA–GHS

programme. Dr Somen Nandi and other scientists of UC

Davis facilitated some great exposures for Dr Goswami,

which enhanced his understanding on international

development in Sustainable Agriculture and related

areas. Dr Goswami also visited

Georgia South University during this trip and met with

GSU faculties and interacted with students and visited farmland. He

got an exposure of Workshop and Seminar facilities of the

Departments in the University as well.

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Result of Chakdaha KAS varieties along with two local varieties in RBD pilot testing at Chhoto Sehara village, Sandeshkhali-I Block, North 24-parganas:

The researcher collected two soil tolerant rice varieties (Kakdwip Selection-15 and Kakdwip Selection-29) from Chakdaha unit of BCKV for a pilot testing at Chhoto

Sehara village, Sandeshkhali-I Block. Chhoto Sehara which was affected by ‘Aila’ cyclonic storm. In this area agriculture was highly affected due to soil salinity and

others adverse effects of Aila. VIVEKDISHA of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University and Global Health Share of University of California, USA took up a research

project titled ‘Promoting health and economic development in the Sundarban region of India through improved nutritional and agricultural education and

outreach’ to bring back economic development and sustainable agriculture in this area as a pilot programme.

Below picture shows that production status of KAS varieties are quite impressive and

higher than local varieties though Panicle length, Number of tiller/plant and Number of spikelet are lower in KAS varieties than local varieties. Plant height is good for

water stagnation condition but it has a negative effect of lodging percentage due to

cyclonic storm. ‘Mazra’ pest found in local varieties whereas ‘Mazra’ pest, Black & brown spots are found in KAS varieties.

Some pictures regarding our study:

Saline Tolerant KAS-15 & KAS-29

with more production

Local-CR

Promising results found for saline tolerant rice varieties in Aila affected area of Sandeshkhali

after 2012

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Acknowledgements: We express our deep gratitude to all who readily extended

their academic or financial assistance to run this network.

In this context we would like to specially remember Ernst and

Young Foundation. We hope the generous people and

organisations will continue to support this noble cause and

make Swami Vivekananda’s dream of a prosperous modern

India a reality.

Expert Services: VIVEKDISHA has been able to

successfully provide expert services including online expert

services by involving scholars and technical experts from around the globe to support our project with a diverse

wealth of expertise, ideas and contacts. This online collaboration from experts and scholars from various parts of the globe is a valuable addition to our services under

the VIVEKDISHA scheme. Among the scholars and experts who deserve special mention are the following:

(1) Swami Atmapriyananda, Vice Chancellor, RKMV University, Belur Math (2) Swami Sarvasthananda, Secretary, RKM Ashrama, Rajkot, Gujrat

(3) Swami Devapriyananda, Minister-in-charge, Lusaka, Zambia

(4) Br. Naren, Ramakrishna Mission Saradapith, Belur Math (5) Dr. Indrajit Roy, Professor, University of Cardiff, UK

(6) Mr. Anindya Mukherjee, Teacher in Mathematics, Dasnagar, WB (7) Dr. Partha Goswami, Cheif System Manager, Computer & Informatics Centre,

IIT Kharagpur, WB (8) Dr. Soma Majumder, Teacher, Konnagar Rajendra Smriti Vidyalay

(9) Dr. Somen Nandi, Managing Director, Global Health Share, University of California, Davis, USA

(10) Sri Kushal Roy, Teacher (11) Mr. Janardan Ghosh, Faculty member, RKM Vivekananda University

Website: http://vivekdisha.in Email: vivekdisha.belur@gmail.com Postal Address: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University PO-Belur Math, Dist- Howrah, WB – 711 202, INDIA. Phone: 033 2654 9999