Make technology part of RTE, say experts

More than a year after schools in the state and the country moved online, there is a pressing demand from educationists and experts to cater to the technological gap in learning, with a large number of students still struggling to get access to smartphones, laptops and computers and thus remaining out of the education system

More than a year after schools in the state and the country moved online, there is a pressing demand from educationists and experts to cater to the technological gap in learning, with a large number of students still struggling to get access to smartphones, laptops and computers and thus remaining out of the education system.

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A 16-page report of the India Task Force under the Lancet Covid-19 Commission titled Reopening Schools after Covid-19 closures has recommended making Right to Technology a fundamental part of the Right to Education (RTE). One of the key recommendations of the report consists of providing digital access to students. “Bridge the divide on a priority basis through a combination of actions including but not restricted to improving access to internet connectivity and devices to poorest children,” states the report.

Data on access to technology among students in the state has revealed that a large number of students did not have access to learning due to the unavailability of devices or the inability to pay for the internet. According to a survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), nearly 60,000 students in the city had no access to online learning as of February. Half of these were students who had no phones.

Similarly, as per a survey conducted by the Maharashtra state education department in February 2021, nearly 16% students from the state do not have access to any medium of communication (radio, TV or mobile phone) for online education. As per the data, over 26% students in the state do not have access to even a simple mobile phone. The state of Palghar had the highest number of students without access to any medium – 37.48% followed by Gadchiroli (36.23%) and Nandurbar (29.87%). Even in Mumbai, which has the highest penetration of WhatsApp (70.33%), 3.58% students do not have access to a mobile, TV or radio.

Experts said that the studies done so far should be indicators for the government agencies and for educational institutes to address the issue of poor access to technology among students. “The governments have to creatively think of leveraging education budgets for the next three-five years. The current state of education and learning is very different from before. Financial planning, student curriculum, teacher support, and parent engagement need to evolve. The technology gap has to be bridged. State governments should strongly consider repurposing the allocated budgets for textbooks, uniforms, TLMs (teaching-learning materials), school infrastructure, potentially some part of the mid-day meal scheme (if not already supported by other schemes), and other RTE accompaniments towards providing digital equipment access. If we can aspire to provide one quality device for every four students by 2025 - it will set a phenomenal learning infrastructure for the next 10-12 years,” said Madhukar Banuri, chief executive officer and co-founder of Leadership for Equity, a Pune based NGO.

Ghanshyam Sonar, convenor of the All India Right to Education Forum said that students need to be provided devices along with internet connectivity on a priority basis in the new academic year that is set to begin for most state schools in June. “A realistic assessment on the requirements is already expected to be in. The government should now work on bridging the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged students because they have got enough time to do so for the last one year,” he added.

Nirmala Jadhav, a parent from a civic school in Borivli said that while her son used her phone to attend online classes last year, he ended up missing a lot because she had to go out to work, hence carry the phone with her. “On paper, we have a device with us but it is of no use because the timings of classes and our work clashes. The government should come up with some solution and try and distribute free devices to students,” she added.