Right to Education: Effective Use of ICT for Reaching Out to Socially and Economically Weaker Sections in India

Abstract

Most of the enrollment growth in the coming several decades will be in developing countries and India will contribute a significant proportion of that expansion. India by enacting “Right to Education Act, 2009” has set out on an ambitious path to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group. As a result the number of students enrolled in elementary schools in far flung villages would definitely see a quantum jump. Challenges of funding, availability of qualified teachers, and building a sustainable academic culture and school infrastructure are significant and real. Providing access to the free education for the children of downtrodden peoples like tribals, lower castes, and dalits is a complex issue in India wherein the fragmentation in the society along religious, ethnic and linguistic lines is deep rooted. In addition, rampant poverty which is the root cause of child labor leaves no time for the affected children to undertake formal schooling. In this paper we review various facets of and challenges in providing access to universal elementary education for the children from socially weaker sections in India. The paper delves into various aspects of this ambitious aim and suggest measures for mitigating the risks and pitfall in India’s march towards achievement of 100% literacy of over 1 billion people. We also explore the ways in which the strengths of ICT can be leveraged in achievement of the goal.