digitalLEARNING-Jan-2011-[33-36]-The Centrality of ICT in Education

policy matters

The Centrality of ICT in Education Education is universally recognised as the single most critical factor that positively impacts sustainable development.

By Shakila Shamsu

T

he crucial role of education as an enabler has been accepted by international bodies such as, UNESCO. Recognising this aspect, the Universalisation of Primary Education has been accepted as one of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and The World Education Forum 2000, Dakar adopted the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All (EFA). Dakar framework views education as a fundamental human right.

The United Nations, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and

the UNESCO Education for All (EFA), World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) and Literacy Decade initiatives, have set a high priority on the improvement of education world-wide. India has also evolved policies and schemes to ensure fulfilling the MDGs and to ensure equal access to education to all sections of the society as also reduce gender, regional and urban–rural disparities.

While, the Xth Plan made a modest attempt to focus on education, the Eleventh Plan has gone much beyond that

and made education as one of the major thrust areas. School Education & Literacy has thus been given the highest priority in Plan allocation. Out of the total outlay of `2.70 lakh crore envisaged in the XIth Plan for Education (Central Sector), including Higher & Technical Education, an amount of over `1.85 lakh crore is for School Education & Literacy, including `1.25 lakh crore for elementary education, `6000 crore for literacy/adult education programmes, and `53,550 crore for secondary education.

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\\ policy matters

The allocation for Higher Education is `84, 943 crore. The share of education in the total Plan outlay correspondingly has increased from 7.7% to 19.4%.

The recently enacted legislation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE Act, 2009) made education a fundamental right and provided for compulsory eight years of schooling. This would help achieve universalising elementary education.

Moving up the education continuum, policies have been formulated for making secondary education of good quality available, accessible and affordable to all young persons in the age group 1516 years.

Thus, the XIth Plan envisaged a Mission, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, (RMSA) for secondary education to consolidate the gains of SSA and to move forward in establishing a knowledge society. Vocational education, adult education and teacher education are under restructuring and reform to meet the goals of skilled manpower, literacy and capacity building of teachers.

The path breaking policies are seen in the tertiary sector also.

Higher education has received the much needed impetus in the current Plan. The objectives of access, equity and excellence have resulted in expansion of institutions to meet the targeted GER, provisions for inclusion to address the social and regional imbalances and several measures for improvement in the quality.

Needless to state, that the quantum of resources in terms of money, manpower and time for materialising these goals would be enormous. The challenge is how to achieve these objectives of providing quality education to quantitatively larger numbers within the minimum time frame.

ICT can be leveraged to play a pivotal role in achieving these objectives with cost effectiveness and efficiency. The problems like rural disconnect from the mainstream society, vast imbalances, the cultural resistance of certain communities towards modern education,

avoidance to work in rural habitations by teachers /educational administrators, faculty shortages and several other problems affecting quality and access in education can be effectively tackled by ICT. The scalability of ICT can reduce costs substantially and thereby break the “iron triangle of access, cost and quality� which Sir John Daniel has referred as a challenge in education.

The G8 Heads of State concurred and acknowledged the role that ICT could play in supporting educational improvement. ICT has various functions and roles in enhancing educational transactions within and outside the classroom situations, to increase access, promote inclusivity, improve quality and transform the educational eco-system.

UNESCO seeks to focus and expand the knowledge base about the issues/ questions such as how can one use ICT to accelerate progress towards education for all and throughout life? Or How can ICT bring about a better balance between equity and excellence in education?

While attempting to find the right solutions, some core points must be borne in mind. Firstly, ICT is not the single medium but only a part of a continuum of technologies, including inter alia chalk, books, etc. all of which can support and enrich learning. Secondly, ICT must be considered as an educational tool, and not and end in itself and as such, used and adapted to serve educational goals.

Thirdly, the widespread use of ICT in education throws up several ethical and legal issues, such as the ownership of knowledge, the increasing exchange of education as a commodity, and globalisation of education in relation to cultural diversity.

The synchronisation of ICT with education has almost become an imperative need in this millennium if the goals of access, equity and excellence must be achieved. Also, in the era of globalisation, knowledge is not limited to geographical boundaries and as such, digital resources /open educational resources are critical for knowledge sharing and collaboration .\\

The monitorable targets in education for the Eleventh Plan are: Enrolment of 6-14 age group children including hard- to- reach out of school children.

Reduction in dropout rate at elementary level nearly 50% to 20% by 2011-12.

Achieve 80% literacy and reduce gender gap in literacy to 10% by 2011-12.

Extend coverage of National Literacy Mission programmes to 35+ age group.

Universalize access to secondary education: revision of norms to provide a secondary school within 5 Km and higher secondary school within 7-8 Km of every habitation.

GER in secondary education to increase from 52% in 2004-05 to 75% by 201112 and the combined secondary and senior secondary GER from 40% to 65% in the same period.

Vocational education to be expanded to cover 20,000 schools with intake capacity of 25 lakh by 2011-12.

Increase higher education GER from the present 11% to 15% by 2011-12

Intake of technical education institutions to grow at 15% annually to meet scientific and skilled manpower needs of the growing economy.

About the Author

Shakila Shamsu Joint Adviser (HRD), Planning Commission, Govt. of India.

(The views expressed by the writer are purely personal and do not reflect those of the Planning Commission.)

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