Technology in Schools

Few months back I had the opportunity to visit a newly opened school in order to deliver a workshop. I saw, air conditioned, carpeted class rooms and large plasma TVs hanging on walls. Some rooms were fitted with LCD projectors. What surprised me was that all the teachers didn’t know when, how and where to use these gadgets.

And what will happen a year after? These TVs would look awkward as thinner, more advanced sets will arrive. Similarly LCD projectors will also have newer models. Can these things replace traditional classroom teaching?

Secondly, air conditioners are not run in India throughout the seasons. If they are kept off during winter, what about the contaminated air inside sealed rooms? Won’t I make the children sick? Carpets too will become worn and dirty in two years. No school can afford to change all these fittings every year.

Technology is changing so fast that we need to think for while before making heavy investments. This cost is passed on to parents which has no direct relevance to quality of instruction. The monthly fee each student pays counts more than the salary paid to the teacher. School managements are not ready to invest in hiring high quality teachers and in service training.

What matters most is the knowledge level of the teacher and intensive advance planning and practice of lessons which are to be delivered through electronic media. Books and teaching material is not being prepared as fast as the apparatus. I think these gadgets served more to amuse the parents than for their practical use. Blatant application all wonderful applications will result in the loss of primary objective of a school system.

Use of computers in applications like creating unique electronic profiles of the students with online access to the parents makes sense. Similarly, it can be used for speedy in-house communication system to increase efficiency. Schools need to invest in creating R&D facilities to study, select, classify and use the vast information on the net and other software.

As a thumb rule, I feel the spending on creating and maintaining physical facilities should never exceed the budget proportion spent on teacher hiring and imparting knowledge. Primary objective of a school is different from a hotel, where the customer pays primarily for food, comfort and environment.