Laptops with Microsoft Certificates for meritorious Plus II students

Bhubaneswar: In a move likely to fine-tune the future of the students, the State Higher Education department issued a notification to offer free Microsoft certification programme to the meritorious Plus Two students who have been given free laptops under the Biju Yuva Sashaktikarana Scheme.

“This year, Microsoft has included a certification programme on Microsoft Office Examination (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point) as a value addition for students who are going to receive Laptops under Biju Yuva Sashaktikarana Scheme 2017-18,” the notification read.

The three-month certification programme would train the students in basic computer skills using Microsoft Office package that includes word, excel and power point and after successfully clearing the MS Office exam they will be awarded certificates directly from the global IT giant Microsoft.

The HE department has also shot letters to the 30 laptop distribution nodal centres in the state in this regard.

“The initiative has been taken to digitally empower the students. Only getting a laptop won’t serve their purpose, they need to be imparted knowledge about that. However it’s not compulsory for students to participate in the certification programme,” said Mihir Das, Admission In-charge of HE Department.

The programme will help the students in their academics and also in their future job requirements, added Das.

Meanwhile, majority of the students have welcomed the move of the State government and said the programme would be a step towards equipping them to switch to the digital platform.

“Most of the students who are getting laptops are technically challenged, hardly they know about the system applications and software. Though it’s not a compulsory examination, the move is definitely beneficial for the students for their future,” said Saswati Soumya Mishra, a student.

With the distribution of laptops still underway, the education department has directed to expedite the process and release a merit list again in case some of the meritorious students do not receive the laptops.

Since 2013, the State Government has been distributing laptops to 15,000 Plus II meritorious students in different colleges of the state, belonging to Arts, Science and Commerce streams besides Sanskrit and Vocational Departments.