India is going through the phase of demographic dividend with its maximum population as working population. To realise this goal, India needs to increase the contribution of GDP to education, which is currently only 3% of GDP, and overcome challenges.

Challenges in online learning:

1.Lack of Infrastructure:
Lack of optical fiber connectivity due to various implementation and design issues (Bharat Net Project). Lack of power in various regions, especially hilly regions.

2.Digital divide:
According to the household social consumption and education in India report, nearly 4% of rural households and 23% of urban households possessed computers. Among persons of age group 15-29 years, only 24% in rural areas and 56% in urban areas were able to operate a computer.

3.Climate Change:
Drought prone areas are becoming flood-prone in 27% of India’s districts, leading to loss of lives and connectivity, which increases disparity in education.

4.Psychological issues:
Due to increase in screen time, online content, fake narratives, and an and an increase in ADHD, they have a direct impact on child mental health and well-being.

5.Evaluation Framework:
Online learning doesn’t lead to adequate monitoring and evaluation of child progress, which is very crucial in primary education.

6.Reducing learning outcomes:
Due to communication barriers between students and teachers, distractions, and a lack of trained teachers (how to operate digital features), reducing learning outcomes, which impact the child’s learning process.

7.Policy Issues:
Lack of policy coherence, inter-ministry coordination, and social audit led to delays in evaluating and framing good policies driven by inclusivity and effectivity.

Way Forward –

1.Improving Infrastructure:
Addressing connectivity issues through adoption of harmonised cables. Improving implementation framework, especially in hilly areas.

2.Bridging the digital divide: Implementing schemes through SHG’s. Adoption of community learning centers to create awareness and teach children regularly. SWAYAM Prabha TV channels, DIKSHA scheme is in that direction.

3.Parental Responsibility:
We need to hold training sessions for parents to adopt and use technology as children learn values at home, and home can also become an education center. To train children to do meditation and yoga practices for overall development.

4.Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: There should be one assessment system for evaluation of child progress in online learning for holistic development of children. PARAKH initiative is in that direction.

5.Policy:
Every policy should be monitored and evaluated to improve its efficiency; there should be policy
coherence, collection of quality data for evidence-based decision-making, multi-stakeholder coordination due to overlapping issues.

6.Emerging Risk:
There is no record of child migration due to climate change, which impacted learning outcomes.

7.Teachers Training:
Adequate training of teachers will pave a way for creative future generations. NIPUN initiative is in that direction.

There is a need to combine older ways of teaching learning with newer ways of reaching learning to achieve time-bound, growth-oriented, outcome-focused results and achieve SDG 4 by 2030.