Technology has ushered in sweeping changes across the world, and soon face-to-face learning in classroom may become a thing of the past, Education Minister A. Suresh has said.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the ‘Dr. YSR Memorial Lecture’ series, hosted by Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), coinciding with the 72nd birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the Minister pointed to the fact that the education sector was totally driven by technology in the post-COVID scenario.
“Technology has changed the way we see the world. We have moved from paper to paperless offices, thanks to the technological advancement,” he said.
Referring to the online mode of teaching during the lockdown period in the State, Mr. Suresh said there were challenges to be met.
‘Complaints galore’
“Many parents were not happy with the online classes. They were worried because children were on their own, without any monitoring. The parents complained that they were unable to ensure that their child was focussed on the teaching while sitting with the mobile or in front of a computer,” he said.
Citing a survey that revealed that a majority of children, especially from the primary and upper primary schools, could not understand the lessons taught in the online mode, the Minister said it only proved that “we are not quite there yet.”
“We are not fully geared to meet the challenges of teaching pedagogy. Teachers are not sufficiently trained and equipped to take the online mode forward,” he said.
“But there is no escape. We have to take this technology-driven move forward. Today, when the entire administration is run through apps, the teaching-learning sector cannot afford to lag behind.”
English medium
The Minister said the State had a tech-savvy Chief Minister, who was eager to groom the children to enable them to face global competition, and said introduction of English as a medium of teaching and welfare schemes such as Amma Vodi, under which mothers of students are incentivised, were steps in that direction.
Raj Reddy, computer scientist and founder-Chancellor of RGUKT, delivered the inaugural lecture on ‘Emerging Technologies and Implications for the Future of Education’.
University Chancellor K.C. Reddy and Vice-Chancellor K. Hemachandra Reddy were present.
