Incredible India: Endless Possibilities

COSN SENIOR DELEGATION TO INDIA: NOVEMBER 12–23, 2015

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CoSN is committed to a global dialogue focused on the strategic uses of tech-nology for the improvement of teaching

and learning in elementary and secondary schools. To further that purpose, CoSN led a delegation to India from November 12-23, 2015. We thank HP for the support that made this delegation possible.

The 2015 senior-level delegation to India continues CoSN’s long-term strategic efforts as a global leader in promoting a dialogue around the key issues related to the success-ful use of ICT/technology in schools. In addition to leading past delegations to Europe (2002), Australia (2004), Scandinavia (2007), Scotland and the Netherlands (2009), London and Paris (2011) , South America (2011) , Portugal (2013) and Singapore (2015), CoSN organizes an International Symposium at its Annual Conference.

Why India? The extent of the endeavor in India is enormous—its population is 1.2 billion as compared to 319 million in the US. More than 50% of its population is below the age of 25.These numbers speak to the very real need for scalability of efforts in the education sector.

By visiting India we hoped to answer questions such as:

y How is the country investing in ICT given the massive poverty and growing school age population?

y What are the innovative uses of ICT in Indian educational institutions?

y Are there new types of formal and infor-mal learning happening through integration of technology, and what roles are NGO’s playing in this process?

y How is India redefining and developing skills essential for 21st century learners?

y Are there practices and approaches that have implications for U.S. education?

Our packed agenda afforded rich opportuni-ties to engage with leading non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), meet school admin-istrators at all levels, visit multiple schools, learn about different pedagogy , talk with inspiring teachers and students, and tour informal learning environments. Long bus rides through a maze of heavy traffic choked with cars, tuk-tuks, rickshaws, motorbikes, buses and even cows and donkeys were a chance to reflect on our visits.

Incredible India: Endless PossibilitiesCOSN SENIOR DELEGATION TO INDIA: NOVEMBER 12-23, 2015

India has an incredible story to share through the lens of innovation in education to address inequities. We are excited to see how technology is being used as a catalyst for transforming education on such an enormous scale. We will be looking to see what lessons educators and policy-makers from North America might learn.

—KEITH KRUEGER, CEO, COSN

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Capturing the sights sounds and vibrancy of our experience in words is no easy task—but our video will help to transport the reader and our blogs provide immediate reactions to our experiences.

After our week in India, the delegation looked back on its experiences and noted several significant takeaways.

y The “can do” spirit is the essence of India. There is an optimism that life can get bet-ter, and that education is at the heart of making that happen.

y The people of India are truly its greatest asset—investment in human capital is viewed as a means to grow India into a strong nation.

y There is always a Plan B when technology fails; it is not used as an excuse but as a way to be creative when the Internet or power failed.

y India starts with the fundamental premise that things can and will change.

What follows are our delegation’s collective insights and thoughts based upon our per-sonal experiences in India. Incredible India is not meant to be an exhaustive research study, but rather to capture our observations and pose some related questions for policymakers and educators outside of India, particularly in the United States and Canada, to consider.

Every evening at dinner we go around the table and each delegate is asked to talk about their “big take-away” from the day. Each day I struggle with mentioning one thing. From the abject poverty and squalor of parts of old Delhi to the majesty of the Taj Mahal and to the orderly streets of British-designed New Delhi and the excitement and respect of every school we’ve visited, this county is a place that offers so many perspectives. It’s like a gemstone with dozens of different cuts offering a different view and with each a beauty of its own.

—BOB MOORE

From the moment the glass doors slid open at the Delhi air-port and we emerged from 20+ hours of travel, it was clear we arrived in a land vastly different than what we left. The first sen-sation to hit was the heat and humidity that smacked our faces as we stepped from the sterile airport environment to the smoky darkness lit with a sea of humanity bustling to and from the airport. In addition to people, the streets were teeming with all forms of life—roaming dogs, cows and oxen. To say we felt overwhelmed would be an understatement.

—SUSAN MEEK

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1. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXTIndia’s rich cultural history spans more than 4,500 years and its diverse population con-sists of 1.2 billion people in a country that is little more than a third the size of the US. With more than 50 percent of its population under the age of 25, education plays an important role in India today and in shaping its future.

OverviewIndia, officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaņarājya), is the seventh-largest country by area, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is currently the world’s fastest growing major economy, overshadowing China.

Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Prime Minister of India, in office since 2014. His administration has focused on reforming and modernizing India’s infrastructure and government, reducing bureaucracy, encour-aging increased foreign direct investment, improving national standards of health and sanitation, improving foreign relations and creating the Digital India initiative.

EducationThe Right to Education (RTE) act, making education compulsory for India’s youth between the ages of 6 and 14, was instituted in 2009 and hailed as a landmark reform. It more than doubled education spending, reduced class sizes, and increased teacher salaries. However, there have been many challenges in implementing the law with little improvement noted. One of the major prob-lems is teacher truancy. Even with the salary increases, teachers don’t always show up for class, a particular problem in the rural areas. There are ongoing discussions over a revised education policy.

With 250 million children attending school, India has the largest number of enrollments in the world (China has less than 200 million). Even more striking is the role of the private sector, which operates 25 percent of the 1.5 million schools in India but accounts for over 40 percent of the total school enrollments.

There is a wide variation in the private school sector with some charging high tuition and serving a wealthy population, while others charge much less—often called low cost pri-vate schools—and are more modest in terms of their resources.

Pictures and articles about the contrasts between the haves and the have-nots of India do not prepare you for the in-real- life experience—the poverty in Old Delhi versus modern architectural structures in high-tech Bangalore. Bridging that economic divide looks to be an insurmountable challenge. But through government initiatives and NGO efforts, India is working to meet that challenge. They are working to change the equation, so that those born into poverty don’t have to remain there.

—PAULA MAYLAHN

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Girl Child InitiativeThroughout India there are efforts to combat a history of negative attitudes about girls. Girl child issues range from exclusion from educa-tion to the extreme of female infanticide. The Modi government has promoted the initiative known as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padnao’ (save the girl child, educate the girl child.)

Technology Policy 20% of schools in India having computers and less than 1/5th of the schools have internet penetration.

There is no specific strategy to bring technology to classrooms. While there are components to funding connectivity to schools in the National Telecom Act and the Universal Service Obligation Program, these laws do not directly focus on education and schools. Rather India’s focus has been to shore up its telecommunica-tions and broadband infrastructure mainly in rural areas and public community anchor insti-tutions such as hospitals, district headquarters, and police stations. As a result, schools are placing their reliance more on nonprofit organi-zations and the private sector for innovative ways to meet their ICT challenges.

Recent shifts in policy are focusing more on connectivity to the classroom. The National Fibre Optical Network (NFON) plans to deliver free Wi-Fi to every school and a fiber connection with at least 100 Mbps to all 250,000 schools sites across the country. Launched in July 2015, NFON is part of the Modi Administration’s Digital India Plan, a bold and broad strategic plan to strengthen and upgrade services, communications and technology across India.

The people of India are passionate about their families, their history, and their cul-ture. Whether visiting with people living in the crowded cities or those in the more affluent communities, dedication to family is a strong priority. That sense of family extends to their neighborhoods and community at large. The historic temples and shrines as well as the magnificent colors in the fabrics of saris worn by women throughout India conveyed the rich sense of culture that permeates so much of India’s way of life. As magnificent as the historic treasures are, it is the eyes and smiles of the children that illuminate the passion of the people of India and give a glimpse of what the future holds.

—ANN MCMULLAN

We see school buildings in cities, towns, and rural areas as we travel from Delhi to Agra and back. … I get the impression that people in this country value education. Why? We have observed that the biggest building in a village is the school. There are new buildings- schools, out in the country dotting the landscape and they are schools. For a country where rural people live in grass huts and urban people live in shanties or on the streets with no shelter, they have managed to fund and support schools for their children.

—DENISE SHOREY

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2. DELIVERING EDUCATION India is working to promote innovation, foster 21st century skills, and enable systemic changes in education ecosystems across the country. This is being accomplished against a backdrop of extreme large-scale infrastructure challenges that exist with sanitation, pollution, electricity outages, and lack of internet access. Cultural issues—such as the gender divide and existence of 22 official languages—are also a challenge as they complicate the delivery of education. Despite these significant challenges, the images blazed into our delegation’s mem-ory are that of opportunity and potential.

Many of the challenges we face in the US are also apparent in India, but far more compli-cated to address on such a large scale.

y A digital divide—but on a scale that cannot be imagined in the US

y Teacher recruitment, retention, and training

y Necessity of helping parents understand that the world is changing along with the educational needs of their children

Along the way we had the privilege to visit schools—both public and private—and meet with visionary leaders from NGO’s. We wit-nessed firsthand the educational experiences of students in Delhi, Bangalore, rural India and Chennai. The schools certainly differed in terms of their resources , physical facilities and approach, but each time we were warmly welcomed by teachers and administrators and smiling students practicing their English.

Ramjas School, New Delhi Ramjas School, a private co-educational ele-mentary and secondary school, currently enrolls more than 1900 students, with a staff of 100. Under the leadership of Principal Dr. Rachna Pant, the focus of the school is to

prepare the current students with the tools they will need to succeed after they graduate. The focus is on an open, flexible, inter-disci-plinary and global curriculum.

We create as many opportunities as possible for this growth because for us each child who enters this school is somebody very-very special and that is the very essence and philosophy of this school.

The notion that “peace is required” is a core belief at the school. Students are taught that it is critical for each one of them do their part in building a culture of community and under-standing. During their morning assembly on the day we visited—Monday, November 16—the student leader facilitating the assembly asked all students and adults in the room to participate in two minutes of silence for those who were killed in Paris during the multiple attacks throughout the city.

It became crystal clear through multiple school visits through-out the week that we are the same. School administrators are passionate about empow-ering students with knowledge and preparing them for suc-cessful lives. They speak of engagement, service learning, design thinking, digital citizen-ship and safety. Families care deeply about their children and their futures. Parent concerns were reflected in comments around internet safety, the appropriate amount of screen time for children, and the desire to have skills such as collaboration and creativity embedded within schools. And the faces and smiles of children melted our hearts. Children were excited and proud to share with us their projects and their time. Full of endless potential, children are a glimpse into the future.

—PAULA MAYLAHN

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Access to technology empowers the Ramjas students to engage in projects that support the notion of peace and well-being for everyone in their community. The school participates in the HP National Education Technology Assessment (HP NETA) Pilot Project providing technology tools and professional develop-ment for both teachers and students. The program provided the Ramjas School learners with their initial experiences in one-to-one computing with mobile devices. The result has been greater student engagement and inter-est, higher motivation levels, increased confidence levels and ever growing use of technology by teachers and students.

Community Centre—Carterpuri Village, Palam ViharThe Government Senior Secondary School in the Village of Carterpuri (named after President Jimmy Carter who with First Lady Roslyn Carter visited the community in 1978) is located in Haryana, just outside Delhi. The school, serving the families of local migrant workers with 95% of students being first generation learners, acts as a community school with outreach programs impacting 25 other neighborhood schools.

We learned about the schools’ Gyan Shakti Program—a knowledge enhancement pro-gram. Learning Links Foundation supports the effort by providing technology and teacher support during the school day as well as a community outreach program that operates after school hours. The key emphasis is on leveraging technology to impact student learning success. That effort was specifically recognized when the school was named “Best in State” for the number of initiatives it has implemented to impact student learning.

The students shared with us examples of how they are leveraging their access to technol-ogy to advance their own learning and the well-being of their community. The theme

of project-based learning and addressing socio-economic challenges ran through each of the student presentations. For example:

y It was one of the first schools to launch its own website; it is updated regularly to keep parents and the community informed.

y Dengue Warriors 008, a collaborative project between students in Haryana and students in Delhi, was designed to tackle the common problem of dengue fever. The students’ ideology is based on the con-cept, “We have a common problem…let’s work on it together.”

y Students built an interactive app to help students who miss lessons in school so they can stay current with what is being taught in the classrooms.

y When students realized that the Mid-day Meal Program—provided for all students—required teachers to track and report multiple statistics, they designed an online data reporting system for their teachers that has greatly simplified the effort. Their program for teachers has since been adopted by other schools as well at the federal and regional level.

It is a given that India faces enormous challenges in multiple arenas including basic infra-structure for housing, refuse, water, transportation, technol-ogy, education and more. The school directors and non-profit leaders we met with never shied away from the struggles they face. Rather they meet them head-on with a determination to invest in the people of India as a way to solve India’s current problems. Whether looking at teacher education as a way to reach more students, as demon-strated by the Learning Links Foundation and the Agastya Center, or emphasizing the importance of STEM education for both boys and girls at every school we visited, the unifying trend is to invest in human capital as a means for growing India into a strong, self-reliant, powerhouse nation.

—ANN MCMULLAN

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Rabea Girls' Public School, Balli Maran Gali, Chandni Chowk, Delhi The Rabea Girls' Public School is in Old Delhi, where the population is overwhelmingly Muslim and where sending daughters to school was not always a common practice. When the Rabea Girls’ Public School first opened twelve students enrolled. Today there are 2,000 students.

To get to the school, students have to make their way through a crowded maze of narrow streets surrounded by shops and old resi-dences. The delegation traveled the same route but via a white knuckled rickshaw ride! Walk through the doors of the school and one finds an oasis of quiet and serenity conducive to learning and exploration.

Established in 1974 by Hakeem Abdul Hameed (the school is named after his mother), it is now run by Principal Dr. Naheed Usmani. What’s notable about Dr. Usmani’s focus is that she is not striving to change the world. Rather, Dr. Usmani talked about help-ing individual students become good human beings, and giving girls the “right values and confidence” so they will not falter, in whatever path they choose to follow

The school emphasizes the holistic develop-ment of each student with curriculum and activities focusing on all the core academic sub-jects, as well as art, music and instruction in the Quran. During our visit students showcased their science projects, presented their internet safety efforts in the computer lab, and showed us the work they are doing to build electric cir-cuits. Entrepreneurship is also integrated into the curriculum. Students shared with us busi-ness plans for a Fitness Club Cafeteria and jewelry utilizing computer circuits.

Rabea Girls’ Public School has realized remarkable results for its efforts. In the Muslim community where the school is located, it is not unusual for girls to be

married by the time they reach 12th grade. One goal of the current administration is to increase the number of students who con-tinue their studies and go on to university. In 2011, the school had just two students who attended a university after finishing school. By last year that number had grown to twenty. Such accomplishments are viewed by many as nothing short of extraordinary.

Countering the old world beliefs of boys being more valuable than girls seems to be taking hold. Recognition of girls was evident in many of the places we visited. During our visit to the Senior Secondary School in the Village of Carterpuri, we listened to a young boy talk about girl child issues and how important the topic was to him as he had two sisters. In the Rebea Girls' School we sat in a class while students demonstrated their knowledge of history’s import-ant social reformers, such as Raja Rammonah Roy, who fought to ban the practice of Sati (the practice requiring a widow to commit suicide after her husband’s death). In India, as is most countries, the youth will be a force for change.

—SUSAN MEEK

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Zaya After School Center at Chamarajpet Center, BangaloreThere is a massive market in India for after school tutoring to supplement what occurs during the regular school day. The Zaya After School Center is one of the more interesting and innovative school models working to pro-vide an alternative to low-income parents for after-school tutoring. After trudging up four flights on a darkened staircase in a poor sec-tion of Bangalore, we were greeted by a room full of students actively engaged in learning.

The Center implements a simple blended learning model with low-cost technology, existing qualified teachers, and lower-skilled teaching assistants. The entire model is pow-ered by Zaya’s ClassCloud technology, which brings an online learning experience with rich content to the classroom, with or without internet connectivity.

Students attend Monday through Saturday for 2 hours per day (from 6:30 pm–8:30 pm), and parents pay around 400 to 500 rupees per month (less than $9). At the end of the session, parents come to pick up their chil-dren. It certainly makes for a very long day, but one that is offering students an opportu-nity for improving their skills.

Takshila School, Ambur As we drove down the main streets of Ambur to visit Takshila, a private school, we were amazed to find signs welcoming the CoSN Delegation. The welcome continued as we approached the school with student perfor-mances utilizing traditional musical instruments and dance. This same welcome and spirit awaited us as we met with students and teachers and heard about their curriculum and philosophy.

Takshila School’s motto is Learn Through Discovery and it strives to make children active creators instead of passive consumers of knowledge. The holistic approach to education we experienced in prior schools continued to be woven throughout this private school as we witnessed robotics demonstrations, science and math classes, as well as yoga, arts and crafts, dance, music and even a swimming pool. The school points to several tangible steps in serving students: keeping students at the center of learning; building strong collabo-rative teams; ensuring learning and technology go hand-in-hand, and having students take education home with them.

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Surana School, ChennaiAt the private Surana School, technology is being used for research, collaboration, improving teaching, and bringing lessons to life. It has strong partnerships with schools in the U.S. and collaborates on projects with students in Texas. This school’s environment is truly impressive. (video).

A particularly exciting event was the invita-tion for the CoSN Delegation to attend the school’s 33rd Annual Day Celebration. As we entered a very modern school auditorium to participate in the celebration, it was clear this was far different from our earlier experiences meeting students in Delhi or Bangalore. The students entertained us with song and dance celebrating their Indian heritage in beautifully elaborate costumes on a stage with state-of-the-art electronics. Recognizing and rewarding community leaders and stu-dents were very much part of the celebration and demonstrated the value school leaders placed on the community and its efforts.

During our visit to Chennai, two other events—“I Can Therefore I Am: Redefine Image” student event and the ICT Symposium—provided additional opportunities for the education delegation to learn and share with others. The I Can Therefore I Am: Redefine Image event showcased inspiring stories of accomplishments by Indian youth. The ICT Symposium brought together Indian educa-tors, government officials, and our delegation to discuss ICT efforts, challenges and prom-ising practices in India and the US with a particularly spirited exchange on BYOD in both countires.

Role of NGOsNGOs play a critical role in delivering education and supporting students and teachers in Indian schools. The importance of NGOs is particularly significant in terms of teacher preparation programs and supplemental programs to enhance the school day.

During our trip we were honored to meet several students recognized for their outstanding achievements by the “I Can Therefore I Am” program. One student was Lalita Prasida Sripada Srisai. Lalita was recognized for her low-cost, eco-friendly corn cob water purification system design which won the “Community Impact Award” at Google’s Science Fair Competition. The competition is open to all 13-18 year olds across the globe. Lalita’s winning submission has earned her $10,000 in funding, a yearlong mentorship from Scientific American, and the admiration of India, especially from the farmers who helped her collect the corn cobs for her experiments.

—SUSAN MEEK

We also were privileged to meet with visionary leaders who are helping to shape and implement education pro-grams in India. Learning Links, Agastya and Srishti, Pratham, and EK Steps—the vision and dedication of these groups are remarkable, exciting and certainly a step forward in improving education in India.

—IRENE SPERO

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Agastya International Foundation, KuppamOne of the highlights of our time in India was the opportunity to visit the Agastya International Foundation campus in Kuppam. The Foundation works to spark curiosity, nur-ture creativity and build confidence among economically disadvantaged children and teachers in rural India.

Its hands-on science program is one of the largest in the world. As of January 2015, Agastya has implemented programs for over 5 million children (50% girls) and 200,000 teachers, from vulnerable and economically disadvantaged communities with a goal of reaching 50 million students and 2 million teachers by 2020.

The Agastya research and development staff have put tremendous amount of talent and effort into creating educational kits that are well thought out and extremely portable. With these kits they can reach learners in the most remote areas. Two of the more unique exam-ples are the use of Raspberry Pi computers and mobile computer labs. The very low cost of a computer like the Raspberry Pi makes it a scalable solution. The machines are small and housed in clear plastic housing giving students the chance to code the hardware and software. The mobile labs on buses are set up with mul-tiple computer stations that can accommodate 18 students and an instructor. Each station is structured for two students in order to foster collaborative learning.

The delegation moved beyond the peaceful Agastya campus and traveled to two nearby villages, where we made late evening visits to after school learning centers. Our first visit was to an elementary school with an after school maker space. Children of various ages made crafts out of paper, banana leaves, and Popsicle sticks. Sitting on the floor in a room illuminated by a single light bulb, the children were totally engaged and absorbed in the activities and eager to show us their accomplishments.

The second visit was to an after school program utilizing one of Agastya’s mobile classrooms. This particular mobile classroom was a van equipped with laptops, tablets, and other technology to help deliver digital education. We walked down a dark alley encountering cows wandering about—and then at the end of the passage we were met by an astonishing sight—a group of engaged and enthusiastic students sitting at long tables in the dark using tablets to learn Excel. The only light visible was from the screens. Students come there between 7:00–8:30 each evening to enrich their education and achieve some of the skills that will lift them out of rural poverty and provide an oppor-tunity for advancement. Their mothers in brightly colored saris stand watching in the background and then walk back home across darkened fields with their children.

Holistic experience

We finished our day at the Agastya campus immersed in the Arts. It is a beautiful build-ing with unique architecture befitting their country setting. Another creed at Agastya is to foster and nourish creativity holistically. One of the many ways they do this is through performance art. Experiencing STEM through performance art necessitates participation. So, the delegation sang and danced the songs and dances native to Tamil Nadu. True to form, their staff of engineers and scientists also sang and performed. Many of their staff show exceptional talent.

Unlike the visits in Delhi where we observed the use of technol-ogy addressing concerns in urban India, classroom technology con-cerns in rural India are a few layers removed from the more basic needs of literacy and STEAM. But, I think Agastya has the correct formula.

We left extremely inspired and full of hope.

—VIJAY PATEL

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Learning Links Foundation is working to enhance the quality of education and provide greater opportunities for inclusion, empower-ment and excellence.

We were able to see the direct involvement of the Learning Links Foundation when we visited the Government Senior Secondary School in the Village of Carterpuri and Rabea Girls Public School in Old Delhi. Throughout India, Learning Links Foundation is impacting 1.5 million teachers, teacher educators and students. Its programs integrate technology into student-centered curriculum and assess-ment, provide research based professional development to teachers and administrations and support community efforts to bridg e the digital divide.

“If we waited until we solved all the problems around use of technology before beginning, we would never get started,” said Anjlee Prakash, CEO and Founder of Learning Links

During a panel presentation with the Learning Links Leadership team, they explained the challenges of trying to leverage technology tools when the vast majority of the popula-tion is without internet access. Plan B was

first mentioned by Learning Links when we questioned how blended learning and the use of apps to track learning progress could be implemented in the absence of electricity and internet access. The answer—challenges are just obstacles to be overcome and there is always a Plan B to realize objectives.

Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology, BangaloreSrishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology focuses on the integration of the arts with the sciences, as well as public/pri-vate partnerships.

Srishti’s culture encourages thinking, ques-tioning and experimenting to harness the artistic, and intellectual potential of each individual. Its multi-disciplinary approach inculcates self-initiated learning and indepen-dent thinking and expands perspectives.

We witnessed the result of this teaching pedagogy as we met with students who were displaying their projects. Our delegation was inspired by the presentations and student demonstrations we witnessed at Srishti. The world is a laboratory and Srishti is dedicated to promoting design thinking, the maker movement, DIY (Do It Yourself) Labs and equipment, and non-traditional schooling to Indian education.

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3. DEFINING A BIG BOLD VISIONWith all the challenges that India faces, the country has not stopped or even appeared to slow down the mission of educating their population. In fact, it showed us that partner-ships, the use of innovative low cost technology, and educating first-time learners—including a focus on girls—was the way India is working to change the future for the better.

Partnerships to help fund these efforts are critical and require significant financial sup-port. Shankar Maruwada, co-founder and CEO of EkStep, shared details of his massive social investment effort established to solve major societal problems. He and other bil-lionaire industrialists like Narayana Murthy (founder of Infosys), are committed to solving big, important challenges at scale and have now set their sights on education. They have established an audacious goal of dramatically improving the literacy and math of 200 mil-lion children (ages 5-10) in five years.

After a year of investigation, these corpo-rate leaders concluded that mobile devices and engaging apps offer new ways to reach parents, upgrade teacher skills and support student learning. Most impressively, they are implementing this vision in a way that they will not “own” the process, but rather creating an education platform for government, indus-try and nonprofits to leverage the platform they are providing. Shankar points to Uber where the company leveraged the Internet and GPS, and built a new platform on top that has transformed the taxi industry worldwide. They are no less ambitious in planning to achieve this same success in education.

Another private sector effort, Zaya, is headed by a former Cisco engineer who is working to help solve internet access challenges resulting from low or unreliable bandwidth. Neil D'Souza created a device that is both a

server and wireless network appliance that contains 1 TB of cache/storage filled with digital content that is downloaded when internet connections are available. The small compact device (around 6” cubed) includes a rechargeable battery, making it extremely portable for remote regions in rural India. Over 60 of these routers can be hooked together for local sharing of over 60TB of data. This allows local access of the educational materials during the day without needing a live Internet connection. The Zaya solution is another outstanding example of a Plan B for developing a workaround when technology fails because of the lack of consis-tent and reliable internet access.

The use of Raspberry Pi is a workaround to address the inadequacy of financial resources. An inexpensive computer like the Raspberry Pi

A key take away for me is that the digital divide, although far greater in India than America, is the same for any individual child caught it in. It does not matter if you are in India, America, or someplace else in the world—if you don’t have access to the internet then you are at an educational disadvantage leading to many not fully participating in the digital/online economy. This has profound implications for any nation that has a portion of its population not engaged in the economy.

—ANDREW MOORE

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at $5 per device is a scalable solution that allows for creative and critical think skills to be taught. Programming computers, sending cameras up on helium balloons, and attaching electronic sensors to teach circuitry are all pos-sible on a device like the Raspberry Pi. Because of its affordability, schools and organizations like the Agastya International Foundation are able to scale solutions.

At the government school in Carterpuri, 95% of the students are from immigrant families. Here we saw how Scratch was being used to address the challenges of multiple native languages. Developed by the MIT Media Lab, Scratch was being utilized to teach early pro-gramming skills, as well as develop learning games designed to teach social and safety lessons. Scratch allows the students to learn

in his/her own language, a significant benefit in government schools where instruction is delivered in either Hindi or the local language. Students can be “digitally fluent” even if they do not know English. The enthusiasm and learning demonstrated by those students was truly inspirational and represented best prac-tices in education.

India has a vision, and with resources provided by the government, nonprofits, and entrepre-neurs who are sharing their wealth and knowledge they are on their way to narrowing the digital divide, educating and lifting the Indian people out of poverty and into a prom-ising future. It may take a generation or two, but India appears to be on the right course to educate their students for the future.

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4. LESSONS LEARNED We left India feeling inspired, hopeful and more aware of our shared humanity.

Clearly India has big challenges ahead in leveraging technology, reaching all students and providing opportunities for the future.

But what can US educators learn from India? How can we distill our experiences and offer our colleagues in the U.S. advice that will be helpful in meeting the challenges they currently face.

1. Formulate a clear vision and make a commitment to translate the vision into reality. In India that vision and commit-ment was apparent in our conversations with education leaders, as well as students and teachers. In the U.S. we need to do a far better job of articulating the vision and then making the hard decision to find the resources—both financial and human—to make it happen.

2. Develop a Plan B. In India, there is always a plan B if first attempts at technology do not work --or resources are missing. The Indians have found ways to work around the lack of connectivity—and even the absence of electricity—without sacrificing education. U.S. educators need to take this same approach in planning for times when technology fails and develop a plan B, not as an excuse, but as an alternative.

3. Build partnerships. India is looking for transformative change in the way they are delivering education. To do this they are deploying solutions that are both broad and deep in scope. This in turn requires partnerships with government, NGOs, the private sector and communities. The power of those partnerships is a significant factor in the improvement of education in India and an example for U.S. educators to follow.

4. Educate the whole child. The holistic approach to child development was evi-dent in Indian schools. The curriculum included academic subjects, as well as art, music and even Yoga and meditation. All too often U.S. schools have eliminated subjects like art and music that enrich the learning experience.

Namste: Incredible India!!

’ll leave this blog by saying, with all the challenges we saw in India, the students are resil-ient, engaged, and want to learn. Plan B for when tech failed was always on the edu-cator’s minds, not using it as an excuse but for a way to be cre-ative when internet or power dropped. The human spirit and soul are alive, strong, and will take India’s next generation into the future with new skills and techniques. It may take a couple generations but India is on the way to having a mostly educated society like much of the developed world.

Here’s to India and the strides they have made to educate their people.

—ANDREW MOORE

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AGENDA COSN SENIOR DELEGATION TO INDIA

Sunday, November 15: Delhi Introduction and Goal Setting for the Delegation

Monday, November 16: DelhiSchool visit—Ramjas School, Interaction with the Students— Innovative use of Technology to Transform Learning

Travel to Community Centre—Carterpuri Village, Palam Vihar Providing learning opportunities to the youth & underserved segments of the society—interaction with the Community Youth, Women and Village Head

Discussions with Learning Links Foundation

Meeting with Pratham

Tuesday, November 17: Delhi Depart for Rabea Girls’ Public school, Girls from minority segment showcasing how technology is effectively used for advancing science learning & nurturing the spirit of innovation & entrepreneurship.

Leadership Conclave—Digital India: Imperatives and Way Forward for Education Sector organized by Learning Links Foundation

Wednesday, November 18: Delhi/Bangalore Flight to Bangalore Meetings with Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology

Visit to an afterschool center organized by Zaya Meet with EKStep

Thursday, November 19: Bangalore/Kuppam Bus to KuppamVisit to the Agastya International Foundation Campus Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh

Friday, November 20: Kuppam/Chennai Bus from Kuppam to Ambur Visit at Takshila School, Ambur Surana School Annual Day Celebration

Saturday, November 21: Chennai Conference on ICT in Indo-US Schools Surana School VisitYoung Achievers Program

Sunday, November 22: Chennai Work on report School visit to GTA Vidhya MandirLate night departure transfer to Chennai International Airport

Monday, November 23: Depart Chennai Board flight back home

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2015 COSN DELEGATION TO INDIANizar Abuzeni Asset/Equity ManagementMinnesota

Deb deVriesGirls Thinking GlobalMinnesota

Kathy HurleyCEOGirls Thinking Global Virginia

Keith KruegerCEOCoSNWashington, DC

Ann McMullanEducational Technology ConsultantCalifornia

Paula MaylahnPaula Maylahn ConsultingNew Jersey

Susan MeekDirector of Strategic Engagement and CommunicationsColorado Association of School Executives

Andrew MooreCIOBoulder Valley School District (CO)

Bob Moore, CEO RJM StrategiesKansas

Vijay PatelDistrict WebmasterBoulder Valley School District (CO)

Beverly Knox-PipesDistance Education ConsultantMichigan

Cynthia SchultzGeneral Counsel and Chief Compliance OfficerAffinitiWashington, DC

Denise Atkinson-ShoreyPresident/CEO, e-LuminosityColorado

Irene SperoChief Strategy Officer CoSN Washington, DC

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BACKGROUND MATERIALSGovernment Information The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education and Literacy

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Schools was launched in December, 2004 and revised in 2010 to provide opportunities to secondary stage students to mainly build their capacity on ICT skills and make them learn through computer aided learning process. The Scheme is a major catalyst to bridge the digital divide amongst students of various socio economic and other geographical barriers. The Scheme provides support to States/UTs to establish computer labs on sustainable basis.

National Policy on ICT in Education

Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, 2012

Ministry of Human Resource Development

National Program on Technology Enhanced Education

Studies and Reports y ICT for Quality Education in India, I international Journal of Physical and Social Sciences, 2012

y ICT in School Education (Primary and Secondary) , PriceWaterhouseCoopersThe paper examines the key issues and challenges the effective implementation of ICTs in school education and provides suggestions to address these challenges and aid the imple-mentation of ICTs in school education.

y Education in India , World Bank2011 report from the World Bank on an overview of education in India

y Education in India, WikipediaEducation in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: central, state, and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution, free and compulsory education is provided as a fundamental right to children between the ages of 6 and 14.

y Private sector’s contribution to K-12 education in India: Current impact, challenges and way forward, Ernst and Young Today, one of the most striking trends in Indian school education is the increase of private sector participation with an estimated 3 lakh private schools with 40% of the total student enrolment.

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Private enrolment in elementary schools is approximately 35% and over 50% at the sec-ondary level. Studies in cities like Mumbai and Patna show that upward of 75% of children in these cities are attending private schools. This trend holds true in rural India as well. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) shows that enrolment in private schools at the elementary in rural India has increased from 19% to 29% in the seven year period from 2006 to 2013.

y Teaching with Technology Policymakers are increasingly placing emphasis on making technology widely accessible in schools, and teachers’ and students’ independent access to technology is growing as well. To understand teachers’ use of technology in the context of these trends, this survey by the Central Square Foundation focuses on ‘early adopters of technology’. It analyses the avail-ability and usage, perceptions, and challenges among 1100 teachers across India, and also makes recommendations to improve technology adoption among teachers.

y The EdTech Promise: Catalysing Quality School Education at Scale This report by the Central Square Foundation provides an overview of the EdTech landscape in India and the role that technology can play in improving student learning, teacher training and instruction, and school governance. It also analyses EdTech innovations from India and abroad to demonstrate how technology-based models are evolving in different contexts to produce higher learning outcomes. (See more at: http://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/publications/#sthash.MdHHoI2A.dpuf)

Technopak Education Outlook

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ARTICLES y MOOCs Shake Up Indian Education | MIT Technology Review

y India’s obsession with English is depriving many children of a real education

y As China Races Ahead, India Trails Way Behind in Education

y Images for ICT in Education

y India’s education sector lags in ICT infrastructure

y Digital India’ lags behind in world internet race

y Fighting Truancy Among India’s Teachers, With a Pistol and a Stick

y 250 million students in 250 million classrooms: the future of school education in India

y India’s Narendra Modi Makes First Visit to Pakistan for Chat With Nawaz Sharif

y Indian Schools Are Failing Their Students

y Indian Prime Minister Takes California, Courted By Tech Industry Titans

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© 2015, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). Design: DeGarmo Creative The report was compiled and written by Irene Spero, Chief Strategy Officer, CoSN