India embraces digital education roadmap as virus surges

With the efforts of successive governments, Kerala last month became the first Indian state to go completely digital in public education.

As the coronavirus pandemic struck India, a total of 320 million learners were adversely affected and forced to transition to e-learning. With major regional and household disparities in access to the internet and technology across the country, this transition was not the smoothest for all students and educators - but the southern Indian state of Kerala was ready for such a scenario. “The state has ensured that not even a single student misses out any classes during these testing times. Through the First Bell programme, classes are being held through digital channels and are also broadcast through Facebook Live and YouTube,” said K. Anvar Sadath, CEO of the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE). But the journey that enabled the state to be prepared to roll out a superior digital infrastructure at a time of critical emergency is largely thanks to its Akshaya and IT@School projects, both launched in 2002.

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Digital domination

With the efforts of successive governments in the state, Kerala last month became the first Indian state to go completely digital in public education.

Public schools in the state have been equipped with hi-tech classrooms and IT labs - providing truly global experience for students and teachers in the learning process. The First Bell Digital Classes for students aims to be an interim alternative for physical classes - since schools are closed for an indefinite period of time - and has completed over 2,650 classes since its launch on June 1.

“Since the deployment of IT equipment to schools alone would not suffice an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) enabled learning system, we have ensured essential components such as ICT content development through it's a dedicated portal,” said Sadath.

GOING DIGITAL IN KERALA

16,000 public schools in Kerala equipped with:

• 119,055 laptops

• 69,944 multimedia projectors

• 23,098 projector screens

• 100,473 USB speakers

• 4,545 LED TVs

• 4,578 DSLR cameras

• 4,720 full HD webcams

The importance of infrastructure

Infrastructure for education assumes crucial significance in the backdrop of extended school closures during the pandemic - which, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) study, will result in a loss in human capital and diminished economic opportunities in the long run for countries such as India.

With India boasting the world's second-largest school system after China, shutting schools to maintain social distancing amidst the Covid-19 crisis was the most logical solution to avoid community transmission. According to the WEF, a total of 320 million learners in India have been adversely affected and transitioned to the e-learning industry, which comprises a network of 1.5 million schools.

But it's not only Kerala which has moved to embrace digital education.

Digital education initiatives by Indian states

1. SMILE (Social Media Interface for Learning Engagement) in Rajasthan

2. Project Home Classes in Jammu and Kashmir

3. Padhai Tunhar Duvaar (Education at your doorstep) in Chhattisgarh

4. Unnayan Initiatives in Bihar

5. Mission Buniyaad in NCT of Delhi

6. Hi-Tech school program in Kerala

7. E-scholar portal as well as free online courses for teachers in Meghalaya

8. Online certificate programs for teachers in Telangana

Innovating Education

The Indian government has consistently endorsed India as the flag-bearer of the digital revolution and its new education policy also highlights the vital role of e-learning platforms to ensure quality in education.

According to the 'India Report on Digital Education 2020,' the Indian government has adopted a wide variety of innovative methods for ensuring accessible and inclusive education to students at home, and facilitating remote learning and digital education for all. “Glad to launch India Report on Digital Education, 2020. The report elaborates on the innovative methods adopted by Education Departments of States and Union Territories for ensuring accessible and inclusive #education to children at home and reducing learning gaps,” said Indian Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal.

The critical task of providing digital education at the doorstep of the students has largely succeeded in India thanks to social media tools like WhatsApp Group for classes, online classes through YouTube, Google Meet, Skype, e-learning portals, Doordarshan and regional TV channels) as well as the deployment of All India Radio.

“The Ministry of Human Resource Development has initiated many projects to assist teachers, scholars and students in their pursuit of learning like DIKSHA platform, Swayam Prabha TV Channel, Online MOOC courses, On AIR - Shiksha Vani, e-PathShala and the National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER),” Pokhriyal said.

The enormous scope and potential of e-learning and digital education in the country thus beckons not only government agencies but also private sector companies, start-ups and investors with a golden opportunity - to help shape the future of India.