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Assam schools can be completely overhauled using Information and Communication technologies (ICT)
A growing regional disparity as well as the remote nature of schools maybe the cause of woes in the Assam education system. ICT has the capability of ironing out most of the problems including timely availability of textbooks and updating the department on school needs.
Assam governor PB Acharya has written to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressing his concern over the depressing performance of government schools and has suggested a complete overhaul of the education system to improve the quality of education in government schools.
The governor was apprised first hand of the performance of the govt schools when he invited rank-holders of the recently held state board Class X and XII, and CBSE Class XII examinations for felicitation at Raj Bhawan. The Raj Bhavan PRO stated, "The governor observed that most rank-holders are from private schools. No government school has achieved excellence. The achievers are only from a few districts and there are hardly any tribal student achievers."
The situation clearly says something about the disparity in urban schools and schools from tribal areas as well as private and government schools. Among other things surely the teaching quality is to be blamed for such disparity in results. Assuming that teacher attendance, teacher training and student attendance are taken care of, the core area of imparting education can be tackled with the help of information and communication technologies (ICT).
Technology has proved to be a great leveller time and again in various industries and it will be no different in education when implemented properly. In fact schools in Assam are crying out for latest academic updates which can be transmitted economically and rapidly through the use of ICT.
Considering that many schools are located in remote areas with difficult terrains, ICT is the solution. Curriculum updates can be sent to the schools much faster and teachers can be apprised of new methodologies in teaching.
Using a contextual example from Assam, one of the major grouse faced here is that textbooks do not reach schools in far-flung areas or are delayed. Wouldn’t it be great if the education department ensures that the contents of the textbooks are available online right before the start of the academic session? Moreover, this policy will provide the authorities with the flexibility to update the curriculum even in the middle of an ongoing academic session.
ICT can also be used to update teachers with effective pedagogy and appropriate teaching strategies which in turn can empower them to provide quality education to students.
Stretching our imagination a bit further, there should be a common platform bringing together all schools details from every state. This will help the government understand the needs of any school located in any district of the state in real time and facilitate better coordination between the government and school authorities. Details like number of students and teachers should also be made available in the portal.
ICT will also enable easy video conferencing between the students from different areas amongst themselves and with teachers and others subject matter experts who can advise students at scheduled times.