The ICT Laboratory: An Analysis of Computers in Public High Schools in Rural India
Payal Arora · AACE journal · 2007
There has been a strong push towards e-literacy in India, particularly in the distribution and usage of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools for economic and social growth. As a result, the Vidhya Vahini scheme was launched in Kuppam, a marginalized village constituency in Andhra Pradesh. This scheme strived to disseminate computers to all high schools by 2005 with the intention of scaling this pilot initiative nationwide. In this article, I argue that in spite of strong governmental initiative and multifarious private-public partnerships, there are considerable barriers in the implementation of computers in public high schools. To optimize these cost intensive resources, we need to address some of the chronic educational challenges prevalent in the school system. With the constant flux in participation by public and private actors in this process, the question of sustainability is critical in the transformation of schools as e-learning communities.