Taking Digital India campaign to schools

Long requiring an overhaul, the education sector has finally received a much-needed boost and revitalisation with intervention through technology. The Modi government’s ambitious initiative, Digital India, has been instrumental in introducing technology to various sectors, including education. Launched in 2015, the initiative has garnered support from industry stalwarts like Google, Microsoft, etc. Various programmes and initiatives, introduced by the government to realise the aim of Digital India, have been extended to the K-12 sector. It is an ongoing project, and success can only be assured with continuous review and research.

Various programmes introduced in schools include:

eBasta

Attuned to the Digital India initiative, this programme aims to make e-books accessible to all. As a part of this initiative, the government has tied up with various publishers to make educational content available on tablets and laptops. It also facilitates a platform where all the content resources can be managed.

saransh

CBSE launched this web portal with the aim of promoting effective communication between schools and parents. This review tool helps the parents to evaluate their wards’ strengths and weaknesses at school.

epathshala

It is an app, jointly launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which hosts various educational resources that can be used by teachers, students and educators.

Digishala

Among various other post-demonetisation initiatives, the government launched DigiShala to promote electronic transaction of payments. All CBSE schools have been asked to go cashless. Besides reducing paperwork, it also makes parents and students comfortable with digital tools.

Measuring impact

Equal education opportunities: Shortage of quality teachers has often been attributed to as the reason for poor quality of education being imparted to students. And, the problem is more pertinent in rural areas. However, technology-based education does not discriminate between rural and urban areas and holds the promise of mitigating these issues.

Learning fun and interactive: Rote learning, plaguing the Indian education system for ages, has demotivated both students and teachers. Tech-enabled education makes learning fun and interactive, thus holding students’ attention longer.

Decoding learning outcomes

No matter how many initiatives and programmes are launched, they are of no use if the learning outcomes cannot be measured. Use of technological tools helps in reviewing the learning progress, pointing out the gaps too. These are some of the learning benefits of Digital India campaign in schools. These are instrumental in making this generation of learners digital natives, comfortable with the latest technology. However, no great revolution was ever carried out without problems.

Way forward

Infrastructural roadblocks: Poor internet connectivity, frequent power cuts come in the way of carrying out digital activities. Getting support from technological companies to set up proper internet connections is a way to address these problems.

Many teachers are not equipped to handle digital tools. However, instead of being open to learning, they become reluctant to adopt these in their classrooms. Proper teacher training ought to be included in the plan to launch any digital programmes in the classrooms. Although there are many problems, these are not unsolvable. A true dedication to bring forth a digital revolution in India, coupled with periodic reviews, can help attain the goals of the Digital India campaign.