Still a far-off dream

As India rebooted one of the world's largest school education systems, with a paradigm shift from the current 10+2 structure to a new 5+3+3+4 set-up, with the goal of developing foundational knowledge, numeracy skills and digital competency among children, the new report from U-DISE 2021-22 brought out a disturbing scenario in the existing digital infrastructure in schools. The presence of infrastructure in different states is disproportionate, especially in populous states and those from the north-eastern region. This raises a serious challenge in transforming the country, with more than 1.49 million schools, 265 million students, and 9.5 million teachers, into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower, as targeted by the National Education Policy 2020.

A total of 47.51 per cent of schools have functional computers that are used for teaching and learning purposes in classroom ecosystems, while 52.49 per cent of schools still do not have any functional computers, according to the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) 2021-22 report, released by the Union Education Ministry, which surveyed a total of 14,89,115 schools.

Furthermore, only 37.7 per cent of government schools have functional computers, compared to 68.5 per cent of government-aided schools and 73.3 per cent of private schools. It is noted that 62.3 per cent of government schools still lack any working computers.

In the U-DISE report for 2021–22, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Lakshadweep were found to have taken the top spot, with 100 per cent of the schools having functional computers used for instructional purposes; followed by Puducherry (99.6 per cent), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (89.4 per cent), and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (66.8 per cent). On the flip side, Jammu & Kashmir (33.4 per cent) was the worst performing union territory in this respect. The union territory Ladakh performed comparatively better, but was behind the national average, with 46.2 per cent of its schools having computers.

Furthermore, the state-wise statistics revealed an asymmetric availability of functional computers in schools across different states of the country. In this respect, Punjab secured the top spot, with 99.6 per cent of its schools having functional computers utilized for pedagogical purposes. It was followed by Kerala (98.3 per cent), Gujarat (98 per cent), Haryana (93.2 per cent), Sikkim (89.9 per cent), Chhattisgarh (89.4 per cent), Jharkhand (85.2 per cent), Maharashtra (81.4 per cent), and Tamil Nadu (78.4 per cent). States like Uttarakhand (58.3 per cent), Nagaland (57.4 per cent), Karnataka (56.4 per cent), Goa (55.3 per cent), Mizoram (53.5 per cent), Rajasthan (52 per cent), and Andhra Pradesh (51.6 per cent) performed well above the national average, with more than 50 per cent of schools having functional computers.

While seven states — including Meghalaya (18.3 per cent), West Bengal (18.4 per cent), Bihar (18.9 per cent), Assam (18.9 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (26 per cent), Odisha (26.4 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (27 per cent) — performed shockingly worse in this parameter, with less than 30 per cent of schools having computers, states like Telangana (42.9 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (40.5 per cent), Manipur (37 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (34 per cent), and Tripura (32.6 per cent) performed comparatively better, but fell short off the national average.

In India, there are about 444 million children and adolescents between the ages 0 and 18, according to a UNICEF 2018–22 report, which presents a favourable demographic opportunity. It is unquestionable that the strongest way to harness this demographic potential is through education. In this regard, quality learning experience, with the provision of flipped classrooms and digital infrastructures, is crucial for learners' holistic development. The U-DISE 2021-22 report evidenced growing trends in enrollment data, but supply-side issues for digital infrastructure grabbed the due space to equip schools with required infrastructures.

A few steps that could be a good starting point in the midst of digital downturn issues, include addressing the shortage of digital infrastructure and tackling the disproportionate allocation of infrastructure in schools across the country. The New Education Policy, 2020 is lauded for its potential to reduce many obstacles to quality education in schools. However, it is urgently necessary to allocate funds, create plans, and follow clear instructions for putting those proposals into practice. The country needs to revamp its earlier National Education Policy, 1992, and Programme of Actions' (POA's) flagship programme, 'Operational Blackboard', which aimed to install the basic physical infrastructures, including digital infrastructure, in every government school.

More than 1.1 lakh schools in India have only one teacher, according to UNESCO's 2021 'State of the Education Report for India'. Clustering these small schools into larger ones will improve the availability of physical facilities in the schools. A local management system is also a pressing need to establish monitoring digital infrastructure at these clustered schools.

As the majority of government schools that are located in populous states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, and those in remote areas of north-eastern states like Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, have been suffering from a huge shortage of digital gadgets, it is crucial to furnish these schools with digital infrastructure by launching a variety of strategic plans. The release of an immediate micro-economic stimulus package from state governments as an intervention is essential.

The scheme is an effective catalyst to bridge the digital gap in schools having various socio-economic and geographical limitations, so as to achieve digital equity in schools. Transitory welfare schemes like the free distribution of laptops, tablets, or other e-learning tools are necessary for poor-performing states. The highest embodiment of school regulatory bodies, such as the Central Institute of Education Technologies (CIET), six State Institutes of Education Technologies (SIETs), five Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), and District Institute for Education and Training (DIET), must reconcile to place and manage digital infrastructure, and deliver context-specific e-content to destined schools.

Finally, the partnership with state government and union territories' administrations for facilitating computer and computer-aided equipment needs to be strengthened. Along with the Central government, state governments must allot a required budget to schools in ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Many states, even after more than a decade, are yet to meet the norms laid down in the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The states, which performed worse, must introspect their existing policies and programmes, and take initiatives to fulfill the needful reforms as suggested in RTE Act, 2009, with revamping two national flagship schemes — Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA, 2001) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA, 2009).

The writer is a Guest Lecturer, and a former Senior Research Fellow at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Views expressed are personal