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 Insight
The hole-in-the-wall
Access to state-of-the-art PCs to several thousand children in urban and rural India was provided. The computers were placed outdoors, usually mounted on walls and, hence, often referred to as "hole-in-the-wall".
The experiments were initiated at Kalkaji, New Delhi, by NIIT Limited, Indian software and training multinational, through its Center for Research in Cognitive Systems (CRCS). They were later continued by CRCS and through a company, Hole-in-the-Wall Education Limited (HIWEL), set up in 2001 for this purpose. HIWEL is a joint venture company between NIIT Limited and the International Finance Corporation, the industrial financing arm of the World Bank.
Several projects have been initiated since then and include the following:
- The Shivpuri (1999) experiment- one computer in the state of Madhya Pradesh, funded by NIIT Limited
- The Madantusi experiment (2000)- one computer in the state of Uttar Pradesh, funded by Dr. Urvashi Sahni and NIIT Limited.
- The Madangir project (2000)- 30 computers in six locations in Delhi funded by the Government of Delhi and NIIT Limited.
- The Sindhudurg project (2001- 10 computers in five locations in the state of Maharashtra, funded by the ICICI bank and NIIT Limited.
- The IFC project (2002)- a plan for 66 computers in 22 locations spread throughout India, of which 33 computers in 11 locations are currently functional, funded by the IFC and NIIT Limited.
- The Alexandria project (2003)- a plan for 90 computers in 30 locations spread throughout Alexandria, Egypt. The first kiosk is scheduled to be opened on October 12, 2003. The project is funded by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
- The Cambodia project (2003)- a plan for 10 computers in 5 locations in Cambodia. A gift from the Prime Minister of India to the Cambodian government. The project is funded by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Government of India.
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