Digital innovations in the education sector in KP
THE 21st century is often referred to as the “Age of Technology”. It is considered the cornerstone of economic growth as technologically advanced nations are at the forefront of prosperity.
There is hardly a field today where the role of technology is not visible. One such area is education.
The dependence and reliance on technological innovations have made our lives comfortable and our jobs efficient and less time-consuming.
In education, particularly, technology is going to be pivotal both in terms of learning and growth.
One manifestation of the spread of technology is the use of the Internet in almost everything we do daily.
From banking to academics and from entertainment to information, the internet is everywhere.
The Internet is a great leveller because underprivileged students can access any educational material from anywhere in the world.
The internet makes it incredibly convenient for students to find different kinds of help, tutorials and other kinds of support material that they can use to improve and enhance their academic learning.
The use of information technology and digital tools has increased student learning and interaction.
Knowledge transfer becomes very easy and convenient, as well as efficient when digital tools are used. Its importance in the world of education can no longer be overlooked.
Schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa increasingly utilize PowerPoint presentations, animations, and other digital resources for students’ learning.
The use of technology such as projectors and digital interactive boards in schools has increased interaction and interest among students, ultimately increasing student motivation.
Young students not only get professional teaching in classes but they also love seeing a fascinating practical projection of their course outlines using information technology.
The future of the globe lies in going digital and while competing with the contemporary world, the workforce needs to have the digital skills to live, work, and flourish in a digital society.
To make sure that the students at government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain competitive in the digital world, digital literacy must become a part of the curriculum at an early age.
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Mahmood Khan, CM KP, and Mr. Shahram Khan Tarakai, Education Minister KP, has aimed to educate the children of government schools with the skills of the future, i.e.digital literacy.
This will enable this young generation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be prepared to meet the challenges of the future.
It is pertinent to mention here that enabling access to modern trends regarding digital literacy at an early age will create critical thinking skills in students, an awareness of online environment and an understanding of the shared social issues created by digital technology.
The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has started taking the lead in bringing information technology to the doorsteps of students at the early age from grade six to eight.
Under the “Digital Literacy Project,” IT teachers of 1170 public schools across the province will be trained on digital literacy course contents and tools, i.e., code.org, MIT Scratch, Mobirise and MIT App Inventor, by Digital Literacy Master Trainers.
These IT teachers will train 235,200 students in government schools in 3 years. This project will be able to improve the skill development of government school students.
Incubation centres will be established in selected schools as well. The talented students will be paid an honorarium of 15000 rupees per month for six months.
Annually, grand competitions will also be conducted among the students of the whole province and the award-winning projects will be awarded cash prizes as well.
Students are also encouraged to compete at the national and international levels, and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa covers all costs associated with project preparation as well as boarding and lodging for participating teams.
There are various success stories of students trained under this project who have won national competitions.
This project will also develop the analytical and logical thinking skills of government school students.
It will improve the computer and digital literacy of government school students. This project will ensure awareness about contemporary education and skills.
Furthermore, the capacity building of government school IT staff will be enhanced by this project.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the first province in the entire country to have started a digital literacy project for its government school students.
It also provides free-of-cost quality education, free textbooks, the latest furniture, state-of-the-art buildings, etc not as a favour but as its prime responsibility.
There are numerous scholarships offered for talented students in the province. The teachers at government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also professionally trained and hired on merit.
In the past couple of years, access to digital technology within the education sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has grown remarkably.
This saturation has resulted in round-the-clock connectivity among students, teachers, administration, and different forums that are available for different kinds of assignments.
The education emergency in the province has not only delivered fruitful results but also paved the way for other provinces to adopt the same course of action.
—The writer is a PhD Media studies fellow, working as a “Communication Specialist” in the Elementary & Secondary Education Department in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
