Tech Education As A Game Changer

Ashutosh Dayal Sharma Oct 23, 2018

From the apps changing the approaches we shop, eat and communicate, to cloud computing that can make anywhere a workplace, technology is moving at a very fast pace. Technology has become a part of our daily lives, that even small children can operate electronics easily. Use of advanced technology in schools for teaching is also a reason for such a fast advancement in children. We have come a long way from chalkboards to e-black boards which are constantly providing students the skills of the modern workforce.

India is a developing country where the education rate is not similar in every region. The biggest reason is the policymakers who neglect the educational and technological activities in rural and remote areas. Looking at this challenge as a major concern, many foundations and Big Corporates have joined hands together to fight against it. These foundations are not just working hard to provide basic education to the children but also making an effort to make them technologically advanced.

Likewise, in a small district of Rampur Maniharan, Uttar Pradesh, where the literacy rate is minimal among men and women, Mr. Vinod Gupta, Founder of Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation has taken an initiative to provide technologically advanced education to the children over there. The Ramrati Education Complex (REC) under Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation is branched into two spheres i.e. Bill Clinton School and Hillary Clinton Nursing School. Both the schools are furnished with modern technology tools and advance teaching methods. Bill Clinton School was the first to commence the smart board classes in rural areas. The objective of providing education through the smart board is to motivate the educators and to make them understand their syllabus in a better way. This also promotes “collaborative learning” which makes students to communicate for information, ideas and to monitor each other’s work.

Like Pratham has a partnership with Vodafone Foundation India and they have started digital classroom – “Learn Out of the Box” to enhance tech education in rural schools. E-Vidyaloka aims to improve the quality of Education through Smart / Digital Classes.

Looking at the relevance of technology in the present era, these schools are equipped with Computer Labs, LED TVs, Smartboards which enable students to attract towards education through audiovisuals. Furthermore, students also do their projects and make presentations on the computer under the guidance of their teachers. The Internet provides the necessary scaffolding for students to construct learning at their own pace and context. With the help of the Internet, students can make their research simple, however, It also makes there learning quite appealing. Also, Hillary Clinton Nursing School has established Simulation Labs within the horizon to provide practical knowledge to the students who are learning and practicing nursing skills over there. With the use of high-end equipments in the lab, students learn and practice which helps them in the near future when they look out for the trainings and jobs in the hospitals.

The importance of English in education and student’s life cannot be denied. English remains a major medium of instruction in schools. However, REC structured the language labs in the Bill Clinton School premises to boost English speaking, with help of using headphones and playing audio and visuals to improve pronunciation of the students and enhance their self-confidence as well.

In a nutshell, interweaving technology with education seems to be helping students at all levels. Unlike in urban spaces, technology isn't something village schools are not taking for granted. As the effects of the trickle-down economy in rural areas, education has not reached to every village. So for encouraging education in rural India, the Government and the private sector must work in tandem and the beginning has to be made now!