Special Report: In the Race for Digital India, Are Our Students Being Left Behind?

MS Yavatmal (Wasim Sheikh):-In an era where the emphasis is on making the education system 'high-tech', the ground reality is telling a different story. While schools are becoming 'smart', a crisis is looming over the foundational education of students. Following recent surveys and discussions with educators, a major question has emerged: Have teachers now become less like educators and more like 'Data Operators'?

Emphasis on 'Data' Over Teaching

Complaints are pouring in from government and several private schools across the country that teachers' precious time is now spent on mobile apps and portals rather than teaching children in the classroom. From reporting Mid-Day Meals and online scholarship verification to recording attendance and feeding data for various government surveys, teachers are increasingly trapped in a web of paperwork and digital chores.

Direct Impact on Students' Learning

Students present in the classrooms report that teachers are often busy filling out information on phones or tablets. This is having a direct impact on the learning capacity of the students:

 Decline in Foundational Knowledge: Proficiency levels in core subjects like Mathematics and Languages are dropping. Lack of Interaction : The vital dialogue between teacher and student has become merely a formality. Because teachers are occupied with data entry, they are unable to identify and correct individual student mistakes.

> A unknown School Teacher stated: "We love to teach, but if we have to upload information on 10 different apps throughout the day, when and how will we focus on the children? Our priority should be teaching, not updating portals."

The Path Forward

Experts believe that technology should be used to simplify education, not to turn it into a burden. Educationists have urged the government to:

 Appoint Data Operators : Dedicated staff should be hired in schools for administrative and digital tasks.

 Respect Teaching Hours : Teachers should be kept free from any non-teaching digital work during classroom hours.

 Simplified Technology : Instead of dozens of separate apps, a single, streamlined portal should be created to save time.

If this issue is not addressed in time, the dream of "Digital Education" might be fulfilled, but the "Actual Knowledge" of the coming generation will be left far behind.