A major initiative towards providing satellite based tele-education facilities to Engineering colleges in the country was launched today (January 1, 2008) jointly by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in association with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay. This EDUSAT network provides satellite-based tele-education facilities to students and teachers of the engineering colleges across the country. The teaching end is set up at IIT, Bombay by ISRO which will provide satellite bandwidth and install ground equipment at various recipient institutes across the country, while IIT, Bombay will arrange for delivering full fledged courses on various engineering topics through its faculty on this network.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in this regard was signed between ISRO and IIT, Bombay during November 2007. To begin with, IIT, Bombay has scheduled 13 full-fledged courses on this channel. About 50 colleges including IITs, several National Institutes of Technology (NIT), VJTI, Mumbai, Samrat Ashok Technological Institute, Vidisha, Sona College of Engineering and Technology, Salem and Delhi College of Engineering, which already have the compatible ground terminal equipments, will start receiving these programmes from tomorrow onwards (January 2, 2008). New institutes who wish to join this programme will be provided ground equipments soon.

In the EDUSAT Network, ISRO has set up more than 45 broadcast and interactive networks covering 20 states including North-Eastern states and Islands of the country. More than 30,000 classrooms have been provided connectivity through EDUSAT and the number is still growing steadily. It may be recalled that EDUSAT spacecraft was launched on September 20, 2004.

During the inaugural function, which was arranged simultaneously at ISRO Headquarters, Bangalore and IIT, Bombay through satellite link, Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, Shri A Bhaskaranarayana, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, Prof H P Kincha, Vice Chancellor, Visveswaraya Technological University (VTU) and senior officials of the Department of Space participated in the function at ISRO Headquarters. Mr F C Kohli, senior executive from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Prof Ashok Mishra, Director, IIT, Bombay, Shri P Panneerval, Principal Secretary, Government of Gujarat, Dr (Ms) Joyce Sankaran, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra and Directors and representatives of various NITs and IITs were present on this occasion at IIT, Bombay.