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Education

Teachers block the path to modernisation

By Kelly Ng | 1 September 2009

India’s ambitious National Mission on Education through ICT may be undermined by teachers’ reluctance to use technology in the classroom.

Daggubati Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development (Higher Education) highlighted the need to train the country’s academics who are resistant and fearful of technology.

“Many of our teachers are first generation graduates, who are scared of failing in front of a computer in a class room. They also fear that technology will replace them,” commented Purandeswari.

The National Mission on Education through ICT, which Purandeswari’s ministry is responsible for, aims to leverage the potential of ICT in providing high quality personalised and interactive knowledge modules over the internet for all learners in higher education institutions. Learning will then be accessible anytime anywhere.

The same challenge of training the educators is echoed outside of India.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) was formed to address the need for professional development among teaching staff. Jayne James, Senior Director, Education Leadership of ISTE was in Asia last week to share how teachers can manage cultural change in schools to make the most of technological transformation. “It is important to get teachers (and students) on board for this shared vision,” James told FutureGov.

“Educators need to consistently redesign how we interact with students in the classroom to deepen their thinking skills and collaborative learning. There has traditionally been a lack of training for educators in this area,” shared Eleanor Goh, Vice Principal of Crescent Girls’ School in Singapore.

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