Impact of ICT on Primary Education

Abstract

The chapter highlights the role of technology in primary education sector. It is has been correctly said that without proper education a nation cannot be built. Education means knowledge and knowledge is power. To gain power, it is essential that education be made compulsory at the grass root level. Poverty and the strife for survival often forces families to engage their children to earn livelihood for the family. This results in children dropping out from schools. To prevent this, United Nations has proposed Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to achieve universal primary education by 2015 in all developing countries. This is a stupendous task and sustainability is a big challenge. However, this chapter shows how ICT can be used for developing a framework that can be useful in implementing an education program. The framework has been tested in a program in Odisha, India and has been proved to be successful. Government of India initiated a program called (SSA) from 2002 to 2003 which strives to achieve Universal enrolment, Universal retention and Universal achievement apart from bridging all social and gender differences at primary level by 2007 and elementary education level by 2010. The chapter talks about the implementation approach and technology that makes the implementation consistent with quality at all primary education centres. It has been observed that this implementation approach has been able to meet objectives of all the stake holders. India is a developing nation struggling with challenges in its primary education sector and is striving to reach 100 % literacy. Universal Compulsory Primary Education faces many challenges in keeping poor children in school and maintaining quality of education in rural areas. Education in India, from primary to higher education is monitored by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and is heavily subsidized by the Indian government, though there is a notion to make higher education partially self-financing.