CBSE & NCERT Launches School Bhuvan : A portal dedicated to making geography interactive

To make map-learning for class IX and X students more interesting, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has started a new portal in association with the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Not only will it show dedicated maps for water, weather, soil etc, it will also display satellite images at one click.

While interactive maps have been around for a while, they come at a rather high price, since such services are usually provided by private players, which dissuades many schools. The CBSE venture is expected to be more cost-effective. Already, to avail of such services from private providers, schools have to buy the entire e-learning module package, which can cost as much as Rs 1lakh. The CBSE is not only providing a specific service, but it is also expected to be at a minimal rate of Rs100 or so.

The portal has gone live and teachers in some schools have already started using it and found it effective. Unit head for senior secondary classes at The Orchid School, Ashwini Shah, who also teaches geography, said, "Until now, we were showing the children flat maps which are difficult to understand. However, the new system has dedicated maps with which concepts can be explained in detail. Moreover, satellite images are very helpful for children to remember."

Radhika Karthik, geography teacher at DAV Public School, agreed wholeheartedly, but pointed out that it is important for schools and faculty to be technologically prepared to use this facility. "Students will no longer be confused with the crowd of icons on the old maps. But schools should have smartboards or AV rooms to do justice to this system. While students can access it on their computers at home, it needs to be shown on a big screen in class for better understanding."

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Courtesy: bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in & Pune Mirror