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              Jaipur:
              Fed up of your child logging into Facebook at the cost of 
              studies? The Rajasthan government has hit upon a remedy - a social 
              networking site that will also help brush up a youngster's 
              academic knowledge. 
               
              "The idea is to utilise the popularity of social networking sites 
              among students. Most of them spend a lot of time on such websites 
              every day," a senior official of the state's information 
              technology department, which is developing the portal, told IANS. 
               
              The government portal will give tips to students on subjects like 
              physics, chemistry and mathematics. Experts will be roped in to 
              answer the academic queries students post on it. 
               
              "We thought why not make it a bit educational so that students can 
              not only enjoy the fun that these sites offer but also get to 
              learn something," the official said. 
               
              Students will be able to open up their individual accounts, add 
              friends, upload photographs, play games and interact among 
              themselves just like they do on Facebook. 
               
              "What makes it stand out is the fact that there will be 
              subject-specific links on the home page. We will store e-books, 
              objective questions and coaching material related to each 
              subject," the officer added. 
               
              The development of the portal is in the final phase, he said. 
               
              The government should popularise the website by approaching 
              educational institutes across the state, including schools, 
              colleges and coaching centres, said Abhishek Sharma, a volunteer 
              working with a local NGO. 
               
              "The students should be encouraged by the institutes to use this 
              portal," Sharma told IANS. 
               
              "It will be fun to have such a social networking website. I 
              usually get distracted by these sites, but fun and studies going 
              together must be great. I am eagerly waiting for the site to be 
              launched," said Manu Mishra, a Class 11 student. 
               
              Parents have also welcomed the initiative. 
               
              "My son spends half of his time on social networking websites 
              which could be utilised for sports or studies. I will definitely 
              encourage him to use the portal being launched by the government 
              as it will at least have some study or course and subject 
              material," said Ramkumar Joshi, parent of a Class 12 student. 
              
               
               
              
              (Anil Sharma can be contacted at anil.s@ians.in) 
  
               
  
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