Sustainable Development through ICT and education - A collaborative endeavour
Journal Title: International Journal of Marketing and Technology - Year 2012, Vol 2, Issue 1
Abstract
ICT Information and Communication Technology plays an important role in enabling participatory education, covering wide areas, vast distances and most important eliminating discrimination in education. Among the developing countries India has achieved a significant position in the development of ICT and is taking slow but steady strides in promoting ICT enabled education in India. ICT is an extremely powerful enabler in providing sustainable development to all countries around the world. It is one of the most rapidly developing technological field providing speed and convenience to mankind. Education has always been accepted as the prime source for bringing about awareness, improving knowledge base and leading to enlightenment. Benefits achieved from the synergy of ICT and education can bring about a revolution in the field of knowledge. Economic and social developmental mileage achieved by the countries which reaped the synergetic benefits of ICT and education stand as an example before the world. However we are still surrounded by widespread poverty, illiteracy and economic and social inequality. A major gap exists between the affluent societies which have access to modern ICT and the under privileged population of the less developed countries. An unequal availability of technology, excludes many countries from availing the developmental benefits of ICT. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) describes the term information and communication technologies (ICTs), as: „the tools and the processes to access, retrieve, store, organise, manipulate, produce, present and exchange information by electronic and other automated means‟ (UNESCO Bangkok, 2003). Any kind of technology can be understood as a tool or technique for extending human capacity. In this sense, the UNESCO description of ICTs suggests, ICTs extend our human capacity to perceive, understand and communicate. Education is the driving force of economic and social development in any country (Cholin, 2005, Mehta and Kaha, 2006). The use of latest technology in education can make quality education accessible and affordable to all, thus resulting in social and economic growth of the state. All country heads recognize the growing importance of ICT on their economies and societies. They are aware that ICT intervention in education can be a powerful enabler in creating positive and sustainable development in the country and a work force empowered with ICT skills and knowledge will drive their nation into the global e-economy. If a country is keen to develop technically skilled workforce, it will have to prepare its educational institutions, educational trainers and students to effectively use ICT. However, “Centuries of development in education have not been able to avoid that, nearly one billion people in the world are illiterate, more than 130 million children don‟t attend school, and many of those who do, acquire knowledge that doesn‟t sustain them or is irrelevant for their needs. There is a clear indication that yesterday‟s solutions are inadequate for today‟s problems, and there couldn‟t be a clearer signal that doing more of the same is not a valid solution.” explains Visser (1997, p.2). Indian educational canvas is large diverse and complex with more than 1.2 million schools spread over 600 districts across 35 states and union territories. In the Indian federal system, education is a subject addressed by central, state or provincial governments. Hence the resultant picture is that of central government, district and state authorities, working in tandem or independently of each other, thus making implementation of changes (like inclusion of ICT) in the existing system extremely difficult. Globally, there has been an unprecedented revolution in the advancement of ICTs. Since 1980s, a dramatic shift is observed in terms of access to ICT by the public at large. Amongst the developing nations India has achieved a significant position in the development of ICTs and is recognized as the global leader in the knowledge economy. Yet, more than half of its population continues to be illiterate. Thus, a picture of major contradictions emerges as urban India has problems of excesses and the rural India of deprivation. Implementing ICT in education, in all earnest is the only solution to this challenge.
Authors and Affiliations
Dr. Sangeeta Kohli and Dr. Ritu Bhattacharyya
Keywords
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