Technology-driven education for fast-digitizing India
India is undergoing a digital evolution, and seeing a boom in adoption of smartphones. Interactive applications and videos are fast becoming popular methods of learning among children, and that is just the start. Technology not only has the power to reshape education as we know it, but it also has the potential to solve several problems plaguing the Indian education system today.
India has the world's largest education system
With over 260 million school enrolments, India has the largest primary and secondary education system in the world.
The current education scenario in India
The Indian education system, today, is driven by fear of taking exams. It is a very impersonal system where strengths and weaknesses of students are often ignored and a one-size-fits-all approach is adopted. Children are taught to solve questions, not ask them. As a result, children often grow up to be career-oriented drones, rather than self-correcting individuals who learn throughout their lives.
The potential of technology to reshape education
Technology could potentially solve the three core issues plaguing the Indian education sector - accessibility, personalization, and effective learning. Smart devices can deliver quality education to millions of students irrespective of their geographical location. 24x7 access to varied and interactive learning material allows students to learn what they want at their own pace, and thus allows teachers to take on a mentoring role.
How technology could transform classroom spaces
It is reasonably safe to assume that several tech-powered learning products will pop up in the next few years. In this light, audio-visual technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) could potentially transform classroom spaces. As children are primarily visual learners, visual representation of concepts can not only promote effective learning, but could also make learning an immersive, engaging and fun experience.
Is technology-driven education practical, or just a distant dream?
While a technology-driven education system in India might seem like a distant dream, it is actually quite possible within the next decade. Being essentially a services economy, demands for quality education at scale is bound to go up. Furthermore, India is the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world today, and the massive potential market for education technologies could well see investment in education-related tech.
