BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 recognises digital literacy as a crucial skill, Odisha does not either have adequate computers or teachers to train students in using them.
Only a little over 30 per cent of teachers in the state are trained to use computers for teaching, revealed the UDISE+ report for 2023-24 of the Ministry of Education.
Their percentage is higher in private schools. There are 3.35 lakh teachers in the state and 33.3 pc of them are trained to teach through computers. Of the total teachers who are computer-trained, 34.7 pc are female and 32.5 pc male. Many schools do not have dedicated computer teachers and the closest the students have got to technology is through smart boards installed in a few schools, the report stated.
There are 61,693 schools in the state of which, the government runs 48,671 schools and 6,042 are private. When it comes to schools having computer devices, only 15,389 (24.9 pc) schools have functional PCs. This percentage narrows down to 16.1 in case of government schools. On the contrary, 67.7 pc private schools have functional PCs. The state paints a sorry picture when it comes to the presence of smart classrooms or trained teachers using digital tools for teaching-learning like smart boards and virtual classrooms in government schools. Just 3.9 pc government schools have their PCs or desktops integrated with teaching-learning devices and 25.7 pc have functional smart classrooms that are used for teaching. Further, 29 pc government schools use mobile phones for teaching. Interestingly, while schools are struggling to have functional computers, the government has facilitated internet facilities to almost 81.4 pc of its schools. In fact, Odisha figures in the list of top-10 states that are providing internet facilities to a large number of government schools.
Educationist RN Panda said the UDISE report points to the need for focusing on renewing teacher training courses that would not just train candidates to become teachers but as educators who are ready to adapt to the ever-changing education system including computer literacy.