ENHANCEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE RURAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM THROUGH ICT: - CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) two and three are about achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equality, respectively. The MDGs in education are defined in terms of participation and completion of primary education by all children and the elimination of gender discrimination in education. Education and Teaching in India’s government primary schools in rural areas has often been argued to be in the bind of such ‘banking education’. In addition, since the country’s independence in 1947, these schools have faced institutional constraints pertaining to infrastructure, maintenance, teacher recruitment, curriculum capacity and training and recent back time the Right to Education Act (RTE) has also been invoked. Despite the continued efforts of the various Governments on universalizing the primary and elementary education, through a wide range of programs and schemes, access to quality education continues to be an obstacle in the achievement of the education goals. Enrolments increasing to near universal levels, critical grassroots issues still continue to stare us in the face. These include teacher absenteeism, lack of quality teaching now It is also important to keep in mind that ICTs in education are a potential double-edged sword—while ICTs offer educators, tools to extend education to hitherto inaccessible geographic regions, and to deprived children and empower teachers and students through information, there is also the danger that such technologies may further widen the gap between the educational haves and have-nots. However, technology is only a tool and the success of ICTs in enhancing the delivery of quality education to the needy, without widening the gap, will depend largely on policy level interventions that are directed toward how ICTs must be deployed in school education.