ICT in Non-Formal Education

Introduction and Motivation:

Non-Formal Education is an alternative form of education that occurs outside the traditional classroom environment in schools and colleges for both adults and children. Use of ICT helps in taking Non-Formal Education to the reach of rural population.

Early Non-Formal Education projects used print, radio, television, audiotape, videotape, and satellite transmission as an efficient and cost-effective way to provide illiterate adults and out of school learners with educational opportunities. With the development of new ICTs, the delivery mechanisms of Non-Formal Education now include: personal computers, the Internet, the World Wide Web, CD-ROMs, and DVDs

Recent innovations in ICTs like Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite communications, the Internet, and CD-ROMs are helping to create new innovative learning tools that will profoundly change the way Non-Formal Education is delivered.

Benefits:

The advantages of ICT in Non-Formal Education includes the following:

It requires fewer teachers to reach a larger number of learners.
It does not require new brick and mortar schools, and can utilize existing schools during spare-times.
It allows learners to continue to earn a living while attending classes during their spare time.
It becomes economical once initial startup costs are paid because the marginal cost to enroll additional students is low.

Challenges:

Internet connectivity and the media of transport is the main concern, developing countries doesn't have enough ICT infrastructure.
Getting enough infrastructure is the key challenge because it requires high capital.
There is often a narrow view of ICT as computers and the internet.
Also there is a certain belief that ICT tools are given by outside experts rather than developed locally.
Language is a barrier, since English literacy is needed to access the global online information network

The role of Software Engineers like us in uplifting society through NGO:

We cannot devote entirely our time to create awareness among the people who are in slums.
We can but support the people who are fully devoted to do the same.
There are number of activities that are held by the NGO to assist people. We can give financial aid (say 1 to 2% of our TA or income).
We can attract the people and the parents with the good approach and introduce the volunteers to the people over there.
We can use the LAPTOPS and the PROJECTORS to display every thing we can that is useful to t hem in a lively fashion.
We can create PPTS for the preliminary and upper primary school people.
Teach them the sciences in the more practical oriented way.

This portal explores some of the projects which use ICT for Non-Formal Education.

Portal designed by: Suman (MTech04 CS) and Vivekananda (MTech04 IT) , IIT Bombay