Effective Learning Environment and infrastructure in Schools
The Indian education system has always been subjected to a lot of scrutiny. Of late, the attention has shifted to the quality of infrastructure in schools, which is now deemed as one of the major reasons as to why children are ‘not learning’ in the desired way. The magnitude of the problem can be well ascertained from the National Achievement Survey 2017, which highlighted the dire need for repairing a number of school buildings across various states. More than 50% schools in Arunachal Pradesh, 35% in Uttar Pradesh, 43% in Assam, 30% in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were a part of the list. The survey focused on the poor learning environment, which overburdens teachers, making students a victim of disinterest. Furthermore, it highlighted several evidences pointing out the lack of basic amenities like drinking water. Also, a number of schools don’t have a science laboratory, and more than 30% of them do not have indoor toilets. The pupil to teacher ratio (PTR) in India is 30:1 at primary level and 35:1 for upper primary classes, which is high. The average ratio all over the world is 23.4:1, for which India should aim now. Based on more than 2 lakh government school students in over 700 districts, the National Achievement Survey revealed that on an average, a Class 8 student could barely answer 40% of the questions in subjects like math, science and social studies. The national average score for language stood at about 56%.
Why is education infrastructure important for learning?
School building, facilities, classrooms, labs and equipment are the key factors that constitute a learning environment. Inadequacies in any of these key elements hinder the learning process. On the other hand, availability of high-quality infrastructure enhances the teaching process, students’ performance and reduces dropout rates. There exists a direct relationship between the school infrastructure facilities and academic performance of students. So it is important that the authorities assimilate school infrastructure facilities with other essential educational inputs for a robust transition.
How ‘Technology in education’ is the panacea for enhancing the current teaching process
Enhancing the access of education ‘anywhere and everywhere’ can certainly bring about a robust change in the current scenario. Advocating the concept of ‘technology in education’, we can create a digital classroom, thus, purging the issues related to infrastructure facilities. However, the concept isn’t something new. Realizing the market potential over 2 decades back, the digital education firm Educomp Solutions by Shantanu Prakash marked its venture in the ed-tech sector, deeming technology as the future of education in our country. The company was amongst the country’s first ventures in this space – creating an uncharted territory into which several new startups and government ventures would step in the coming years. Educomp’s SmartClass has expedited, and enhanced the scope of teaching process to a great extent. It can cover the core concepts in minutes, unlike textbooks and blackboards. Its convenience and expediency has given it a certain edge over the traditional teaching process. A number of studies show that the students are more interested when they learn from visuals on a screen. “Ed-tech has the potential to enhance the curriculum to a point where students can retain a lot more than being taught through conventional infrastructure facilities. It can significantly change the way a student experiences a subject,” said Shantanu Prakash, the Chairman and Managing Director of Educomp Solutions Limited. With the sector’s current predicament, anything that can bolster the current education system, and fill in the shortcomings, should be capitalized by schools and school boards at every level. While unconventional, tech could clearly offer an effective alternative to the broken, conventional system of education in terms of in scale, implementation and viability.
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