From blackboards to digital boards: India infuses ₹90 billion to modernise classrooms

• India is moving towards digitizing classroom learning across the country
  
• The initiative will come into implementation from next academic session — 2019-2020.
  
• It will focus on several domains including technology, mathematics, science and engineering.

In line with its ‘Digital India’ development agenda, the Indian government is reportedly planning to invest heavily in modernising classrooms in India.

On Wednesday, the Indian government launched an initiative to bring digital boards as part of a broader digital initiative, promising an investment of ₹90 billion in state-run schools and colleges.

Starting next academic year — 2019- 2020 — the initiative will be implemented over three years and cover over 150,000 schools for classes 9th to 12th and “thousands of colleges” across the country, India’s Human Resource Minister Prakash Javedekar reportedly said.

"Some 60-70 years back there was an 'Operation Blackboard' because that was the need of the hour then. But the country has progressed over the years, and now we need an Operation Digital Blackboard," IANS reported citing Prakash Javadekar.

Its use will initially extend to subjects including focus on technology, mathematics, engineering and science.

Overall, the move is aimed at making learning more interactive. Digital boards have been successfully used by many business schools.

With analytics emerging as the hottest sector under technology, the initiative will include domains such as machine learning, analytics and artificial intelligence.

The overall cost will be shared by both states and centre in a 60:40 ratio, with the centre spending most on the initiative. However, the expenses on colleges and schools will be funded by University Grants Commission (UGC) through loans, said the Livemint report.

Last year, the ministry had formed a committee under Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT Madras to look into the need of digital blackboards in schools/colleges.

(With IANS)