In the past few years, the government has taken various initiatives to promote digital learning under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). eBasta is an initiative that offers a framework to make school books accessible in digital form as e-books to be read and used on tablets and laptops. Further, a few other initiatives include SWAYAM, SWAYAM Prabha, National Digital Library (NDL), Spoken Tutorial, Free and Open Source Software for Education (FOSSEE), Virtual Lab, E-Yantra, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Through the Digital India initiative, plans are afoot to connect various distant areas with high-speed Internet networks.
There are, however, challenges that exist when it comes to the initiation of complete digitisation, especially in government-run schools.
THE NEED FOR DIGITAL EQUIPMENT
Providing digital equipment is considered paramount in determining a digital school. Computers, television screens of a minimum size of 32 inches, LCD projectors, Android computer stick, screen-mirroring dongles, tablets and teachers’ phones remain some of the prerequisites for promoting digitisation. The list of specified equipment is quite vast, it does not allow for consistency in the equipment required across digital schools. For instance, even if one classroom has any of the specified equipment, it is often considered sufficient for the entire school to be termed as digital. This should not be the case if holistic learning of students remains the aim for promoting digitisation. Further, the number of students who will use each digital equipment is also not taken into consideration.
TECH-SAVVY TEACHERS ARE A PREREQUISITE
Essentially, tech-savvy teachers are considered a key prerequisite for the digital preparedness of schools, indicating that regular training of educators is necessary for digital schools. There is a further need for clarity on what is expected from teachers when it comes to tech-savviness. The government-run training should be aimed at cogent and systemic capacity-building frameworks. Often there are issues of connectivity while participating in online activities during a training camp. At the same time, there have been instances where self-motivated teachers have gone ahead and built their digital skillsets without any formal training.
CREATION OF QUALITY DIGITAL CONTENT
Ideally, teachers need to be discerning in effectively using e-resources for classroom interactions. Take, for instance, e-resources for teaching mathematical fractions in primary classes, teachers shouldn’t assume that merely watching videos of fractions being taught will enhance their understanding. That they also need real-time and prompt feedback on queries while watching the videos, which also needs to be looked into. While various audio-visual contents are available, there is a need for more, which are intended to align with the textbook content. On the other hand, educators or teachers could be encouraged to use various government-approved apps to proactively create and upload content on these apps for the benefit of the education fraternity at large.
While these challenges still reflect the ground reality of dissemination of digital education in schools in far-flung areas of India, the government can look towards harnessing the considerable experience of PPP entities and NGOs in school education, while seeking an arrangement for collaborative engagement. The participation of the private sector and NGOs in managing and operating schools will be an enabler in providing a modern and high-quality framework for education and boost the sector to engage with many more projects under the PPP model.