Nov 14, 2024 08:27 PM IST
What if each student is given a computer? This would be much better than some of the schemes our political parties come up with
The current school system in India is failing us with learning outcomes as the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) illustrates each year. This is truly tragic. One of the biggest gifts India can give to the ageing world in the coming decades is youth. But it is a gift only if the young it offers are educated. The statistics are telling: Average ages across the world are 19 in Africa, 29 in India, 40 in China and the US and over 44 in the European Union, South Korea and Japan — with Japan nearly 50, Italy nearly 48 and Germany nearly 46 being the highest. Therefore, the fact that young Indians suffer from poor learning outcomes is a matter of utmost concern not just for India but for the world. In fact, today, the total global population is 8 billion people. It will stabilise finally in 2072 at 10 billion. The additional 2 billion will come from South Asia and Africa.
It is not that improving the quality of schools in India is not a top agenda for the Indian central and state governments. The discussion around school education has not changed — teacher training, teacher attendance, teacher salaries, more schools, and better facilities. We have over 1.4 million schools, but the ASER illustrates that in the 14-18 age group, more than half the children struggle with a division of a three-digit number by one digit. Clearly, outcomes are moving up very slowly.
At every age between 0-20, India has roughly about 20 million people and so, if we take the age group from 10-20, it will be around 200 million people. We all recognise that labour productivity in India is low and disguised unemployment in agriculture is high. While India can boast of the best digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the world, witness our remarkable Aadhaar, unified payments interface, and DigiLocker to name a few. Our schools seem to be unaffected by the developments that are taking place in technology and generative Artificial Intelligence.
We recognise that the entire system needs a relook. How might we embed the new developments in education delivery? Imagine an individualised curriculum, people learning different subjects at different levels, customised to their level of achievement. Identification of the best teachers and leveraging them more in a quality-starved system, embedding training in delivery by watching and doing, making dissemination broadcasts easier and using technology for receiving these broadcasts and engaging with them. But we all understand that achieving something like that will be harder than getting GST introduced. That took close to 17 years. India does not have that much time to waste: Its decade of opportunity will pass by then and it will not stay young anymore.
What is an experiment we may try to provide a chance to some of these children? I am reminded of a conversation I had more than a decade ago with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. I was on his industry advisory board then and, in a car ride, he mentioned that for Biharis you don’t need to provide the solution. You just need to show them a prize in the distance over a rocky path and they will find a way to get there themselves. Just show them the prize and a gettable path.
Given that I believe what the HP India managing director is saying, an experiment is worth trying. Give every child in India a computer. Begin with the children in the ages 10-20 years of age. This would be a much better gift than many of the other schemes political parties employ before elections. How might a scheme like this work and what good could it do?
I lay out an initial outline of a possible scheme for discussion:
One, every child gets a computer against an Aadhaar number. The manufacturers would compete for the order, and we should try and obtain a computer below ₹15,000. This computer may not be resold and it should be disabled if the fingerprint changes from the original allottee.
Two, in every village and every district, there should be a set of buildings with attached desks and benches that cannot be stolen. These buildings should have power 24 hours a day with a strong Wi-Fi connection with a pay-for-use option.
Three, at these locations, a representative of the computer manufacturer should be present or available virtually around the clock. The representative should be able to teach the kids how to use the computer — basic stuff.
Four, the representative should also be able to guide the children to qualified learning sites where they are not charged for data usage. For these qualified sites, they should be permitted unlimited usage without a data charge. Some gamification should be done so that there is a tournament with monthly prizes culminating in a yearly championship prize in different subjects. Winners should be provided with digital certificates.
Five, watching other things on the computer should be allowed but would incur charges.
This scheme is not an alternative to the current schools and education system. It is a supplement. It will prevent digital apartheid and provide a chance for some motivated children to escape poverty and be productive additions to the workforce. The hope is that with the brilliant learning programmes available today on the net, there may be a small percentage (say 15%) of self-motivated children who learn on their own and can get qualified to take open board exams and improve their lot. This approach may also seep into the entire school system by observation and experimentation. I can almost hear the uplifting beat of Eddy Grant’s Apartheid-era song Gimme Hope Jo’anna being sung by all the disadvantaged children of India. Please let us give them hope!
Janmejaya Sinha is chairman India, BCG. The views expressed are personal
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