Children’s education in rural areas needs focus: Ex-MP Shivarame Gowda
BENGALURU: Former Mandya MP and Chairman of Karnataka Federation Independent Schools Management, Shivarame Gowda said that focus must be given on children’s education in the rural areas rather than focusing on digitising in urban areas.
Speaking at the Digi Techno Cognitive Symposium 2022, organised by Empowered Minds Edu Solution, he said that many students in urban areas have access to laptops and phones and understand how they work, however, often children in rural areas are left behind.
“The children who know how to use laptops and tablets, and are taught by parents, can benefit from the online education system. But for many poor students or those in rural areas, they do not have WiFi or mobile phones,” he said.
The symposium, which was attended by Gowda, MLC Puttanna and filmmaker and environmentalist Suresh Heblikar, was aimed towards bringing technology-based education to both government and private schools in Karnataka.
“We want to train teachers from schools to be able to stand up to 21st century teaching. The schooling I went through abroad nearly 50 years ago has only just reached India,” said Dr Latha Murthy, founder and chairwoman of Empowered Minds, an edutech company.
“Education leaders should set a vision to create learning experience that provides the right tools and support for all learners to thrive. However, to realize the benefits of technology fully in our education system, and provide authentic learning experiences,” she said.