e-Learning in Primary Education – An Indian Perspective
By Kedar Dash on Oct 17, 2017 in Technology
The Annual Status of Education Report (2016) highlights persistently low learning levels in India, with only 13% of grade 2 children able to read from their textbooks. Quality education remains a pressing concern, attributed to various factors like infrastructure, teacher availability, pedagogy, and gender biases.
Among these challenges, the student-teacher ratio stands out as a critical factor impacting educational quality. In many areas, a single teacher handles multiple classes, becoming a norm rather than an exception. This situation is exacerbated by disparities between urban and rural education, where urban students often excel globally while rural counterparts lack basic facilities.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) emerge as a potential solution to bridge this gap. India’s strong presence in the global telecom sector, offering quality internet at affordable rates, makes it conducive for leveraging ICTs in education.
In the past, popular cartoon characters like ‘Tom and Jerry’ were prevalent among urban children. Today, Indian characters like ‘Chhota Bheem’ and ‘Doraemon’ have not only gained widespread popularity but also become integral to children’s lives. This shift reflects the evolving landscape of childhood learning experiences.