Case study of India"s satellite instructional television project (site)

The purpose of the visit was to take a serious and objective look at the project for lessons useful for planning and policymaking in similar endeavors around the world. The report begins with a description of the main features of the experiment -- including its goals, implementing institutions, hardware, main programs, evaluation activities, and logistics. This is followed by a long section of observations about the projects, which includes more details on its more important aspects. SITE"s encouraging technical results are attributed largely to a flexible and well-planned maintenance system. This overview discusses the project environment, programming results, programming policies and decisions, research, and the indirect effects of the project. India"s goals for the SITE project were: to gain experience in the development, testing, and management of satellite-based instructional television system; to demonstrate the potential value of satellite technology in the rapid development of effective mass communications in developing countries; to demonstrate the potential value of satellite broadcast TV in practical instruction; and to give the economic, technological and social implications. It is felt that these goals were satisfactorily met.