According to UNDP statistics, 57 million primary-aged children remain out of school. 103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills and more than 60 per cent of them are women. 6 out of 10 children and adolescents are not achieving a minimum level of proficiency in reading and math.
Education is one of the most important tools for the advancement of any nation. In the words of Delors Commission (UNESCO 1996) “Education is at the centre of personal and community development, it enables each of us to develop all our talents to the full and realise our creative potentials along with responsibility for our own lives and achievement of our aims.” Quality education enables students to develop all of their attributes and skills to realise their potentials as human beings and members of society. It means looking into what desirable changes the educational institutions want to make in each student. People learn basic norms, rules, regulations, and values of society through education. Moreover, high-quality education enables us to steer a successful life, enhances our intelligence, skills, knowledge, and brings positive changes in our life. Quality education is the one that focuses on the whole- the social, emotional, mental, physical and cognitive development of each student regardless of any kind of discrimination. It provides the outcomes needed for people, communities and societies to prosper.
In every government, education is one of the most important pillars for growth and advancement of the nation. India has made considerable progress in getting children enrolled in schools, this has not led to children getting a quality education. Many times the difference between quantity and quality education is overlooked. The most efficient education systems are those that combine equity and quality. They give children opportunities for good quality education. School failure castigates a child for life. The students who leave school without completing upper education or without the relevant skills have fewer life prospects. The same child is additionally less likely to require further learning opportunities and less able to participate fully within the civic and democratic aspects of modern societies. Educational failure also imposes high costs on society. Poorly educated people limit economies’ capacity to produce, grow and innovate. Reducing school failure strengthens individuals and societies capacities to respond to a recession and contribute to economic growth and social well-being.
An innovative way to facilitate learning which is gaining popularity now is Digital Education. Digital Education is the use of digital tools and technologies during teaching and learning and is often referred to as Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) or e-Learning. Digital learning is more than offering students a laptop, it needs a mix of technology, instruction and digital content. The digital education system has revolutionized the process of learning in the classroom. It has made learning more mobile, interactive and interesting motivating students to take interest and maintain it. Digital learning offers students some command over factors like place, time pace, and path.
Digital learning is going to be the key face of future education within the subcontinent. The penetration of digital education into the hinterland/rural market is growing fast. Affordable high-speed internet and direct-to-device technologies are empowering rural students to review courses online and improve their skills and knowledge.
The education sector in rural India is battling various challenges like shortage of teachers, outdated teaching methods, inadequate student-teacher ratio, and insufficient teaching resources. However, with the digitalization of education, students in educationally backward areas are being taught with the help of the newest teaching tools and methodologies. The technology is also helping teachers connect with student remotely spread across several locations at a time.
Digital education also has shortcomings associated with access, devices, content, curation, teachers, training, testing, exams, grades, funding and facilities. Right now government schools and colleges do not have the resources to provide for digital education even the teachers are not trained for this form of education. These issues can certainly be fixed with the right resources as digital education is the way forward. It can encourage today’s youth in a lot many ways to learn and engage themselves in the vast sea of knowledge being freely made available to them through the digital revolution.
Written by Mriganka Kumari
Dhara Shakti Foundation 