Blog: How to Leapfrog the Digital Divide in Schools ?

Context :

Digital divide: 32% of Indian schools have functional computers, shows UDISE..BL. 13 Jan 2025

Extract :

Digitisation has been steadily advancing in India; however, most schools still lack basic infrastructure.

According to the newly released UDISE 2023-24 report, only 32.4 per cent of India’s 14.7 lakh schools have access to functional computers. Furthermore, only 24.4 per cent of schools have smart classrooms, and 24.2 per cent rely on mobile phones for teaching purposes.

The data highlights a significant disparity between private and government schools in terms of digital infrastructure.

Of the 3.3 lakh private unaided schools,

Ø 60 per cent are equipped with desktop computers,

Ø 40.8 per cent with laptops or notebooks and

Ø 34.6 per cent have smart classrooms.

In contrast, of the 10.1 lakh government schools

Ø only 21.4 per cent have desktops,

Ø 22.2 per cent have tablets, and

Ø 21.2 per cent have smart classrooms.

Availability of functional computer and internet facilities has also grown over the past five years, though only in about half of the schools in India.

Functional computer increased from 37.1 per cent in 2019-20 to 50.9 per cent in 2023-24, while internet access saw a dramatic rise from 22.3 per cent to 53.9 per cent.

Pradnya Sheth, ICT Head at The Somaiya School, cited several reasons for the lack of digital infrastructure in schools. These include budgetary constraints, frequent power cuts, slow internet speeds, inadequate basic infrastructure, and the absence of sustained digital resources. “Many schools still rely on traditional teaching methods, and there is resistance to change due to a lack of professional development for educators,” Sheth added.

Aishwarya Rao, Director at The Vivekalaya Group of Institutions, noted, “Much of the government and aided schools don’t have adequate budgeting or training of faculty. There is also a lack of physical infrastructure to help support digital progress. It requires support on the front of education investment and revamping of campuses. What might help is an association with connectivity providers and outsourcing the computer labs in government schools.”

My Take :

( A ) Background :

Ø At the current rate of improvement, it might still take , at least , another 10 years to provide desktop computers to the rest of the schools ( may be 7 lakh schools ).

Ø Assuming that each school needs ( say ) just 100 computers , this works out to approx.. 700 lakh ( 7 crore ) desktop computers

Ø If each computer costs ( say ) Rs 50,000 , this would require a Capital Outlay of Rs 350,000 crore ! Or , Rs 35,000 crore per year !

Ø As against this predicament , all of our 96 lakh teachers ( of our 14.7 lakh schools ) , have Smart Phones

Ø Ditto with our 8 crore Students of 9^th to 12^th standards ( out of our total student strength of 28 crore ). All of these 8 crore ( higher secondary ) students , have Smart Phones

( B ) My Suggestion

Ø Just allow all students ( class 9 – 12 ) to bring their Mobiles into classrooms

Ø Stop acting like King Canute ( telling the tide to stop rolling in ). Or, like an Ostrich, hope that the incoming sand storm will just go away, by hiding the head under the sand !

Ø When 50 years ago , calculators came into existence, our Educators would not allow these either !

Ø Please do not wait till 2030 , by which time , students will replace their Mobiles with light weight and smart looking “ AR – VR – AI powered “ Eye Glasses

( C ) How will allowing Students to bring Mobiles in classrooms, help ?

Ø By accessing www.My-Teacher.in , on their mobiles , teachers would be able to able to generate “ Monthly – Quarterly – Annual “ EXAM PAPERS ( MCQ ), from their Mobiles, and get the students ( who are already seated in the Classrooms-Exam Halls ), to take ONLINE tests on their Mobiles !

Ø By accessing www.My-Teacher.in on their Mobiles, students will take these Exams and instantly get to know the marks obtained !

Ø For ( someday later ) appearing in COMPETITIVE EXAMS ( NEET – JEE – CET ), students can “ Practice ( 24 x 365 ) “ by generating and taking MOCK TESTS, on their mobiles ( courtesy : www.My-Teacher.in )

Dear Teachers – Principals :

Your options are ,

Ø Wait till it is too late for your students to catch up with the students of the PRO-ACTIVE / REFORMS – ORIENTED / RESOURCE-RICH , schools

OR ,

Ø Allow students to bring their Mobiles into classrooms

Beware the Ides of March

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.My-Teacher.in / 16 Jan 2025

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