Use of technology in rural education of India

Use of technology in rural education of India
Use of technology in rural education of India
Use of technology in rural education of India
Use of technology in rural education of India

Mobile phones, internet, tablets, iPads, their applications, social media even traveling, cooking, communication etc are part of our lives from the start till the end of the day. Technology is touching every aspect of society and changing it dramatically. But there is one very important and indispensable part of the society that has also been tapped by new innovations and discoveries and that is education. Like all other areas, in this case also urban areas are influenced to a greater extent than rural one. So much more could have been done to bring the revolution in learning process in rural areas of India. In India illiteracy is one of the biggest problems. Lack of easy access, lack of teachers, lack of interest, poverty, gender differentiation, lack of infrastructure, common curricula are few of the reasons which are holding back the progress in rural education. But with the use of technology mass education can be given and situation can be changed. To reach rural areas, first of all study material can be distributed to the students then online interaction and online videos can be made with teachers. Online teaching creates extended classroom communities for discussions, virtual classrooms and for interaction. There is another option in which classroom courses can be recorded in a real time and used for teaching the students who cannot attend these classes. This creates an expanded access to education. Rural education needs e-learning technologies. Apart from this audio conferencing and video conferencing should be made part of the education system in rural India. Teachers at the schools are not well equipped with the gadgets. So teachers should be given printers, laptops, for giving notes and notices to the students. By using technology the problem of unqualified teachers can also be solved. Initiatives Public private partnerships are playing wonderful role in making rural India tech savvy and in providing education. Successful initiatives have been taken and some are even in pipeline. NGOs are playing an important role in technology assisted rural education. A not-for-profit organization, Azim Premji Foundation, run by Wipro group has been working towards this issue since 2001. It is helping 2 million children in 16,000 schools from 14 state governments. This foundation works by assisting computer-aided learning. Computers are considered as an asset. These are major draw to bring students to the school. For children computer is a very exciting machine. Schools in the states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal have received computer-assisted education through collective efforts by NIIT and government. This has given positive results. Dropout rates have reduced to a great extent through computer-aided education. Edusat – Provided video education in rural India. Edusat was launched by ISRO. VidyaGyan – Works with an aim to uplift the exceptional rural students from economically disadvantage background. They are given world-class education free of cost at VidyaGyan which is a residential institute. It is an initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation founded by Shiv Nadar. He is the founder of HCL. VidyaGyan has taken 200 students who scored the highest in the UP state board examinations. From sixth grade onwards these students will be taught at VidyaGyan. Samudaya: Under this programme 2000 children were taught English, social science, science and mathematics through technology. Using same method 250 teachers were also trained and the outcome was really positive. It tremendously reduced the school dropout rates and absenteeism and at the same time improved the level of confidence. Government has to create more e learning centers to educate students living in rural areas. Required e-learning courses can then be defined. Such e-learning systems will surely improve the society both economically as well as socially. They will develop and come at par with urban students. Hurdles Rural India is deficit in technology. Along with this rural India severely suffers from the shortage of water, infrastructure, power, health facilities etc. But for the success of every technology based education, infrastructure has to be strong. Discontinuation of electricity is the major problem out of all.  There is an option for the same. Solar energy is available in abundance that can be used in many cases. Access to education is second major issue. Students have to cover miles for education. For this more schools are required to be built. Schools should open on the basis of population, and distance. Advantage Technology attracts the rural children. Their wish to attend school increases with the word computer. Even parents show more willingness in this case. Computer education builds up the required confidence and narrows down the gap between urban and rural education. So rural India needs great investment in this section. Related Information: Rural Education in India Are we too dependent on Computers

Read More…

Best 6 Smartphones in India under Rs 10,000

OnePlus 3T Set to Wow with Powerhouse Features