Have you ever wondered why Goa missed the IT bus? It’s not on account of policy changes, lack of proper power supply or the lethargic manner in which the government chariot rolls on the digital highway. It’s because the government does not really believe in the concept of a digital revolution. It is going about the process of building an IT park and setting up an electronic park at Tuem in a manner that signals a surprising lack of conviction. The government is still anchored in the analog world even though it attempts to put up the impression that it has embraced the digital world.
Goa is not on the IT highway. It never was. It was always meandering on the service road unable to decide which way to go. And a stark reminder of this truth is that after more than a decade it is still printing hard copies of school textbooks. Worse still, it is doing it one month into the academic year. As of today only 49 per cent of students have received textbooks and there is no guarantee as to when the remaining 51 percent will get them.
The State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) had given an order to print over 11 lakh textbooks. The Kolhapur-based printer was intimated about the order in December last year, but the order was placed only in March with a demand that all the books should reach Goa by May-end. An extension was granted to June 6. One month has passed since that date and the textbooks are yet to arrive.
Now consider this: the state government has spent Rs 168 crore on its cyberage scheme in the first three years since 2011-12. Till date no study has been undertaken to ascertain how this scheme has benefitted students. Instead of becoming study aids for students, computers, laptops and e-tablets provided to students under the scheme have been grossly underutilised. This feel-good scheme is a drain on the exchequer because no one in government had a clear understanding as to why it was undertaken.
Wouldn’t the education system have undergone a digital revolution if all this money was used to provide students with e-readers? These hand-held devices are cheaper and if loaded with all the textbooks and relevant notes, the government, in one go, would have eliminated the need to print 11 lakh books every year. It would have reduced wastage of paper. It would have reduced the weight of the school bag by several kilos. It would have saved several thousand trees that have to be cut down to make pages for the textbooks.
This is what we mean by the lack of a digital mindset. The government could have encouraged local IT players to get involved in manufacturing the e-reader and spurred a ‘make in Goa’ revolution. Instead, the government used Rs 168 crore to grow business in some other state with a local dealer gaining some commission.
Creating a digital Goa or a smart Goa is not about building IT parks. It’s about creating a digital mindset and this can only be done when the government uses every opportunity to replace the traditional approach with a digital solution. It’s not about gifting computers, laptops and e-tablets to students. It’s about ensuring that learning goes online. It’s about creating e-lessons and e-lecturers so that students can download them. Had the government to use the Rs 168 crore more efficiently and with the aim of ushering in a digital age in education, Goa would have been on top of the IT curve, not at the bottom.
