Harnessing the potential of ICT in education

India as a developing country faces many obstacles like inadequate policy, poor telecommunication infrastructure, digital divide, technological illiteracy and equitable access for implementation of ICT in education. India has the world’s third-largest education system after the USA and China. ICT has the potential of changing the face of education in India and the government is also investing large resources in this sector. With industrial revolution man learnt to overcome physical limitations, and with electronic revolution we have conquered mental limitations. “As we have treaded the progressive path, abundant information is generated every moment in all the areas whether it is social, political, science, medicine or business. Education facilitates understanding, because if any information is not understood or is not presented in an understandable form it remains only as data,” shares Pushpa Prasad, Dean Academics, Orchids – The International School, Bangalore.  

Dr Antriksh Johri Director - IT, CBSC

Dr Chenraj Roychand Founder-Chairman Jain University Trust

Beas Dev Ralhan CEO Next Education Pvt. Ltd.

Pushpa Prasad Dean Academics Orchids

Pratik Mehta Director Sales,Education Microsoft India

Chetan Mahajan Head HCL Learning

Toru Hasegawa Divisional Marketing Director, Panasonic India

Suneet Singh Tuli CEO, Datawind

Prof Ramola Kumar Dean, The Delhi School of Communication

Sandeep Arya MD, Amtrak Group

S M Ramprasad DGM Consumer Product Group, Epson India

Saji Kumar Director-Product Management, Acer India

ICT can make a substantial impact in the way teachers teach and students learn. It can help students acquire new-age skills like digital literacy, innovative thinking, creativity, sound reasoning and effective communication. It is true to say that there is a vast scope to enable ICT in schools at very early stages. Human beings learn best when exposed at a very early age. So the right time to lay the foundation is when a child is in the age group of 2–8 years. Then, there is the need to develop from basic literacy to basic employability. Introduction of ICT in education has changed the way education is delivered, enabled new ways of learning and has also improved educational outcomes. With the government allocating a large sum through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) projects, the primary, secondary and higher education have gained tremendous benefits. Saji Kumar, Director – Product Management, Acer India informs, “This segment has always been a key focus area for Acer and it will continue to be one of our primary growth engines. Our strong engagement model with the large SI partners in the Education vertical and the ability to provide a complete product portfolio has helped us in maintaining a dominant share in this vertical.”

ICT: Impact 

Technology has been a mainstay of growth and most of this current growth can undoubtedly be attributed to how technology is shaping the modern-day world. And the same holds true for education as well. The Indian education system is undergoing major transformation led by emerging technologies that are being integrated with the curriculum to make learning a fun and interesting process. We have seen a greater uptake of technological education solutions like digital classrooms etc and thus, in spite of high cost of digital classroom technology, the Central and State Governments have shown keen interest in investing in ICT in education to upgrade the learning system in government schools. This has resulted in a huge educational transformation in terms of information and communication technology (ICT), opening many new doors for growth.

The present generation is so technologically updated that it is easy for them to adapt to any change or upgradation of technology. Swift growth of ICTs is taking place all over the world. They have emerged as powerful tools for diffusion of knowledge and information. ICT is an easy and fast access to learning, which ultimately leads to democratization of education sector. The method of imparting knowledge in the classroom has significantly changed over the years. Technology has become a critical facilitator in education. Epson has a wide range of products which cater to this segment. S M Ramprasad, DGM Consumer Product Group, Epson India says,” Our short throw interactive projectors have made digital learning an immersive and participative experience and students and teachers are both enjoying the experience. Moreover, at the back end our Photo printers, scanners and dot matrix printers make office administration a breeze for education practitioners.” 

ICT: Implementation

With the advent of growing technologies, e ducation today has moved out of the realm of conventional methods of teaching to a smarter and digitized form of imparting knowledge to give a real-life experience of learning. In recent years, the education sector in India has seen a surge in the use of modern technology to enhance the learning process. The most recent trend has been the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning methodology. The implementation of ICT in the academic curriculum will lead to the development of a whole new culture of learning. It will provide many potential opportunities to promote education on a large scale.  The ICT will enable availability of improved educational content encouraging interactivity and interconnectivity.

As far as its implementation at CBSE is concerned, it has made the entire application form submission system online. Previously, millions of  Information Bulletins (for various competitive examinations being conducted by CBSE) containing 30-40 pages each were being printed and transported to various locations countrywide through road transport.  Dr Antriksh Johri, Director IT, CBSE says, “This system brought the entire paradigm shift in the world of competitive examinations as many examining bodies have followed the CBSE suits.  This system has confirmed CBSE’s initiative and commitment towards environment protection by virtue of saving millions of trees from cut and arrest of carbon emission and fuel saving by non-transporting of these forms.  It has also resulted in timely and accurately receipt of data.”

 Also, CBSE is the first organisation in conducting online examinations i.e. computer based tests not only in the country but also in abroad simultaneously.  Even the collection of student data was a big challenge earlier. These challenges include printing of forms, dispatch of forms to schools,  timely & accurately receipt of filled up forms, punching of data,  scanning of photos, accuracy of punched data, matching of data with photographs and fee reconciliation including late fees etc. Dr Antriksh further adds, “ Introduction of ICT is resulting to huge saving of logistics, printed papers,  enhanced security and integrity of the question paper, least human intervention at every step and  timely & accurately preparation of results.”

Besides these, CBSE is the pioneer examining body which introduced On Screen Marking (OSM) for marking of answer scripts.  The answer scripts are being coded, scanned and distributed through LAN to the examiners in Nodal Centres. 

Keeping pace with emerging trends and increasing acceptance and adoption of ICT, Jain University has adopted certain audio-visual methodologies in their teaching as well. Most of their educational institutes have state-of-the-art classrooms and academic labs. Their classrooms are well equipped with E-boards, overhead projectors and audio-visual learning aids. The academic labs give students a practical exposure on subjects. There are different labs for specific subjects such as mathematics, informatics, etc. These academic labs are equipped with digital cameras, videos, scanners and interactive white boards to enhance the experience of students.

Dr Chenraj Roychand, Founder Chairman, The JGI Group and President, Jain University Trust, explains, “The basic motive is to improve the learning process through the provision of more interactive educational materials that increase learner motivation and facilitate the easy acquisition of basic skills.”

Today, every school understands the need for augmenting digital resources with teachers and physical resources. Now, indeed, schools are moving towards whole-scale technology integration, with School ERP systems, and digital labs for subjects like Maths and Science. Next Education Private Ltd., which prepares as well as provides end-to-end solutions and systems for e-learning, has seen a tremendous change over the last six years. Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO, Next Education Private Ltd., opines, “Next education has seen a lot of demand from non-metro cities. We believe educators and parents realize the value of digital education, and are very keen to expose students to content and technology that will enable them to succeed in this changed world. Over the next few years, I would like to see digital technologies as an integral part of schools, so much so that we no longer discuss them as aspirational.”

ICT: A niche target segment for Business for Vendors 

With the advent of growing technologies, education today has moved out of the realm of conventional methods of teaching to a smarter and digitized form of imparting knowledge to give a real-life experience of learning. In line with this, Panasonic India offers various solutions which include interactive displays for classroom and Portable Range Interactive Ultra Short-Throw, Short-throw and Portable Projectors focussing on the education domain in India. Panasonic Interactive Displays are ideal for universities looking to encourage collaboration in smaller classrooms or labs and for use by the athletic department for coaching and game analysis. These offerings provide students with a competitive edge and take learning to a higher level. Throwing more light on this, Toru Hasegawa, Divisional Managing Director, System Sales Division, Panasonic India, adds, “Our team has been working hard to bring out innovation in the build-quality, thus leading to high consumer satisfaction. It is a mix of direct awareness and partnering education SIs strategy. Other than this, we also assist in education solutions and bring in approved and quality system integrators to help the cause. Driven by our commitment to the Indian consumer and the local market, the solutions we offer will help us serve our customers better with our best-in-the-class products.”

In alignment with the national plan, Microsoft is working with the Indian Government to enhance the state education, skill development in the country and empower the youth of the country. Microsoft’s key motive through its initiatives is to deliver solutions in three interrelated areas, i.e. transforming education, fostering local innovation and enabling jobs and opportunities to sustain a continuous cycle of social and economic growth. Microsoft India has partnered with 14 State Governments (including Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Andaman, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) to set up 14 Shiksha academies and operate close-to 100 DIETS so far to offer a spectrum of education resources. Pratik Mehta, Director – Sales, Education, Microsoft India, explains, “With a vision of driving innovation and building a product-based software economy by supporting product development, Microsoft has launched 32 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) which are state-of-the-art technology facilities for collaboration on innovative research, technology or software solutions, involving a combination of government, academic and industry participants.”

Even HCL has invested in building innovative, high-quality, world-Class and differentiated solutions which are driven by content in Teacher Lead and Self learning format. For example, DigiSchool 6.0 is a content-rich version of their flagship product and aligns with the needs of students and the market. Some of HCL’s key offerings in K-12, technical institutions and professional institutions segment are My IIT Tutor, DigiSchool, MyEduWorld, Xcelerate, CDC (Career Development Centres) and Learn on Cloud e-learning module. Shedding more light on HCL’s learning solutions, Chetan Mahajan, Head, HCL Learning, informs, “At HCL Learning, our offerings have been carefully structured to fulfil the requirements of the complete learning ecosystem comprising students, teachers, administration and parents.”

Besides Panasonic, Microsoft, Datawind and HCL Amtrack also believe that education is a very important part of today’s technological innovations. As ICT is spreading its wings, Amtrack has planned to bring out some unique solutions too in the sector. It already has a design house out of Singapore, and Amtrack’s strong research team is working not just as typical researchers, but a personal feel approach is led to bring out conclusions and some unique concepts from them. “By having created the first line of products for the schools, we are soon to come out with them. Further to that, we would like to touch beyond the bracket of schools in the similar education segment by bringing out solutions for professional learning,” informs Sandeep Arya, Managing Director, Amtrak Info System & Amtrak Group. And, who can forget, Datawind’s UbiSlates and Aakash tablets, which address  challenges like  affordability, availability, reach, connectivity and world class quality content for the Indian masses. Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind exerts that the combination of high quality hardware and wide variety of pre-loaded content and apps provide learners with the most conducive environment that aid learning.” 

ICT: Challenges Ahead 

Like all modern technology, ICT has its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. The need of the hour, however, is to reduce the burden of school-going students. The application of modern technology to resolve problems depends on the changes which are expected to be brought about in the education system. So it is a matter of time that will decide whether or not modern technology will replace traditional methods. Undoubtedly, the way technology has progressed Internet learning is becoming a universal feature, but we cannot work in isolation. At the school level, e-learning should happen with personal interaction. The advantage of teachers physically present creates a healthy emotional and social balance in mental development. We need to research these areas before reaching a final conclusion. Prof. Ramola Kumar, Dean, Delhi School of Communication, says, “The future of Indian education depends on the right formulation of policies and strategies to accrue potential future developments in ICTs and to integrate them in the education sector to transform higher education.” Device makers, on the other hand, should continue developing educational technology by integrating all forms of multimedia to create an engaging learning environment for students.

It is true to say that technology is perhaps the only viable opportunity available to India today to bridge not just the digital divide but more important the literacy divide.  In this day and age, technology has become all pervasive and the education domain is no different. 

satinder@varindia.com