Learning Curve

Democratising access to education is a must for empowerment, and technology has been a major game-changer in this regard.

- Ranjan Mukerjee

The great Swiss clinical psychologist Jean Piaget once remarked that the principal goal of education should be to create people who are capable of doing new things, people who are creative, inventive, and discoverers, and not simply repeating what other generations have done.1 This approach has permeated various societies through the ages, and is finally also shaping the argument for Indian education moving away from rote learning.

Technology has played a massive role in allowing education to focus on systems of learning that place a greater emphasis on knowledge than mundane instruction. We are already in an era where having laptops in classrooms is slowly becoming the norm, and e-learning is on the brink of establishing itself as a prime companion to traditional forms of education. At the heart of it all is one key element that education technology has managed to redefine: access.

Access is everything

It is commonly accepted that knowledge is power. This is because the knowledge one has access to frames one’s education, achievements, as well as life choices. Technology has thrown open the doors to knowledge that were previously closed for a variety of reasons— financial, geographic, social, etc. In many ways, education technology is playing the role of a great equaliser, levelling the playing field by ensuring that knowledge-based education can be delivered to everyone’s fingertips.

Ahead of the curve

Technology has not only had an effect on the way education is delivered but also on the need for continuous education. In a world that is rapidly changing, staying up-to-date with the latest developments can often be the difference between getting a promotion or losing out to someone less experienced but more in the know.