The union government has paid a glowing tribute to India’s inventive and innovative spirit by launching Aakash. It is a $35, low cost tablet intended to bridge the gap between digital haves and have-nots. But there are problems galore. The HRD ministry appears to be somewhat detached from the project after its series of failures in meeting the targets. It is felt that a focus on hardware that is ideally expected to be a panacea for all the problems of India’s educational system seems in the wrong direction. The former HRD minister, Kapil Sibal who actually spawned the project has taken a way out by asking the PMO to solve the problems of procurement for the implementation of the plan.
The project seems to be an Indian response to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project which aims to provide children in developing countries with cheap laptops. The technological brainchild is expected to overcome the deficiencies in the education system of the country. One of course is skeptical about whether it will make up for the shortage of good teachers and the lack of basic infrastructure in most parts of the country. Dr. Amartya Sen has done extensive research to pinpoint this problem. Aakash is just a tool. Insistence on indigenous aspects of the project casts doubt over the prospects of educational improvement sought by it. No one will underestimate the value of swadeshi. Making it cost effective is also an excellent move. But is consumer electronics the major step to ensure sound education for all in India at a rapid pace?