India is a multilingual country with a high population rate which is accompanied by tons of limitations to resources. If we were to demand a sense of sustainability or uniformity in a resource, which one would you pick? Well, education would be our pick! It is one of the most important resources that can contribute to the success of a nation as a whole. Afterall, education is the foundation of any developing country’s future.  

The educational sector keeps evolving to meet the needs of a forever evolving industry and national economy. However, one thing about the education sector that must remain constant is the access to foundational learning.

It isn’t news that the rural sectors of India have limited access to quality learning. But it is imperative that the children in these rural sectors have access to foundational literacy, which will help them identify letters and numbers to begin with. The diverse labour market of India demands primary education for social and economical development of the country.  

The good news is that the education sector of India is going through a major transformation where the format of schooling will change and so will the teaching techniques. Besides, there will be a major shift in the curriculum to make the syllabus more interactive and activity-based to make children curious about learning. The main idea of transformation is to ditch the ineffective ways of learning, unproductive curriculum, and the conventional rote learning.  However, the transformation doesn’t have a timeline, it is a continuous process that gradually takes shape.      

Owing to this progress in the education sector, the National Education Policy 2020 makes Foundational Literacy and Numeracy an urgent and necessary prerequisite to learning. Besides the NEP 2020 also emphasises on giving mother tongue preference as a learning language. This will make education in rural India accessible and easy for children, which will drive them to further pursue education. This could also make learning a joyful experience for children that will potentially make them curious about new concepts and stories. We’re rooting for this transformation in education to take over soon.

To ensure the progress of the nation as a whole, it is imperative to target education in rural India and make learning accessible for them. It is children from these sectors that need utmost help and upliftment to be able to have a stable future. If children from these sectors had the ability to read and identify numbers, it could help them be self-sufficient and get better jobs in the future. They will no longer only have to work as labourers. This contributes to a major upliftment of the rural sector, which gradually will uplift the nation as a whole.       

The NEP 2020 is inclusive of many educational aspects, it uplifts the curriculum, teachers, coordinators and teaching techniques to achieve effective result-oriented outcomes. The nation calls for an urgent need to receive quality education, it being the foundation of our collective future. India, our country may not have uniformity in the education resource but we as responsible citizens can bring about an effective change with our combined efforts; a change that is meant to last for years to come.

Square Panda India makes continuous efforts to uplift the education landscape of India. It hosts programmes in line with the NEP 2020 in rural districts of India to help provide access to quality education. Square Panda India is doing its bit in contributing towards a better future for the nation. 

The impact of technology is being felt across the education sector. With an ever-increasing need for literacy and numeracy skills required to succeed in today’s society, educators are looking for new ways to address this challenge. As a result, not only has online learning become the de-facto standard for education but it is also accompanied by massive changes in how we look at and interact with educational content, information and services. In fact, the NEP 2020 places technology at the core of its purpose: it underscores India’s need to move from a teacher-centric, textbook-based pedagogy to a student-centric inquiry, problem-based learning approach.

🖊️ The Need for Building Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

The impact of technology is being felt across the education sector.
With an ever-increasing need for literacy and numeracy skills required to succeed in today’s society, educators are looking for new ways to address this challenge. As a result, not only has online learning become the de-facto standard for education but it is also accompanied by massive changes in how we look at and interact with educational content, information and services. In fact, the NEP 2020 places technology at the core of its purpose: it underscores India’s need to move from a teacher-centric, textbook-based pedagogy to a student-centric inquiry, problem-based learning approach.

🖊️ The Need for Building Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

The world needs individuals skilled at reading, writing and arithmetics – the three R’s – as these are essential for success in any field of study or career path. The fact that millennials are becoming parents, they should pay close attention to ensure that their children receive a solid foundation. These need to be inculcated from an early age so that they can succeed later in life. The last two years have witnessed a flurry of activity from teachers, parents, and students in low-income families to find innovative ways to share the power of learning and reading between individuals that can’t physically be together.

While it can be argued that this technology is not necessarily replacing teachers, it is undoubtedly changing how they teach. The percentage of rural households owning Internet-compatible devices has steadily increased by 31% over the last 4 years, reaching 68%. 

Edtech has made it possible for students to access their teachers through the internet and communicate with them in real-time. Additionally, students can access lectures and recordings on their mobile devices or tablets. It has also revolutionized teaching methods by incorporating technology into classrooms, such as interactive whiteboards, tablets, laptops and other technologies. These have helped improve student performance by making their learning more relevant, flexible and engaging.

Here are some of the ways edtech is enabling foundational literacy and numeracy skills in children:

🖊️ Helping Kids Develop Early Reading Skills

Research shows that early reading skills are critical to future success in school and beyond. To help children develop these skills at an early age, many apps feature interactive stories with highlighted text and voice narration so kids can hear the story instead of having to read it themselves. These features make it easier for kids to follow along with each sentence as they listen to the narrator read aloud from within the app. Some apps also have built-in quizzes that test your child’s understanding of what they just listened to — another excellent way for kids to practice their new reading abilities!

🖊️ Providing Direct Instruction in Phonics and Spelling

When students are given explicit instruction in phonics and spelling rules, they learn these skills much faster compared to when they are left to figure things out independently. Many edtech programs provide interactive games and activities that teach students basic spelling rules by reinforcing correct letter combinations as they practice writing words over time. They also often include quizzes that allow teachers to assess how well students understand these rules so they can adjust their instructions accordingly.

🖊️ Teaching Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is perhaps the most crucial skill for all students to develop, but it can be incredibly challenging for those who have been out of school for several years or who have learning disabilities that make it difficult for them to decode words on sight. Edtech tools like read-aloud programs, online text-to-speech software, and interactive storybook apps can help struggling readers work on their comprehension skills by reading aloud to them while they follow along with a book or watch the words appear on screen as they read aloud.

🖊️ The Use of EdTech in Schools

When children are exposed to educational apps, they are allowed to explore, interact and learn in different ways than they otherwise might have. The devices keep them engaged through various interactive games, puzzles and quizzes. This helps young learners develop their problem-solving skills, critical thinking abilities and their sense of wonder. In addition, educational apps offer a way for students to practice the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy outside the classroom.

Some teachers create lesson plans incorporating educational apps into the classroom, while others rely on the devices as supplemental tools. With newer devices like augmented reality glasses, students can experience learning in new ways that let them discover new concepts through hands-on experiences. Educational apps can be used with an inexpensive tablet or smartphone at home or in the classroom. They provide another way for parents to help their children develop foundational skills in a fun way.

As a pedagogy-driven organization, we at Square Panda India are constantly in pursuit of improvements and betterment for the future of early education. In order to maintain a high level of professional expertise, we focus on research, technology, training institutes, and best practices to cater to the demands of the changing educational environment in India. 

The first edition of Square Panda India’s ‘Pencil Power Report’ (PPR), the brainchild of Ashish Jhalani, President International Markets at Square Panda, was released ahead of Children’s Day. Some of the country’s top minds were brought together to outline a future course for ECCE in India. “The report symbolises hope and recognises that we have a very progressive government, capable of hardcore implementation,” quotes Ashish Jhalani.