The Centrality of ICT in Education
Education is universally recognised as the single most critical factor that positively impacts sustainable development.
The crucial role of education as an enabler has been accepted by international bodies such as, UNESCO. Recognising this aspect, the Universalisation of Primary Education has been accepted as one of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and The World Education Forum 2000, Dakar adopted the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All (EFA). Dakar framework views education as a fundamental human right.
The United Nations, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the UNESCO Education for All (EFA), World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) and Literacy Decade initiatives, have set a high priority on the improvement of education world-wide. India has also evolved policies and schemes to ensure fulfilling the MDGs and to ensure equal access to education to all sections of the society as also reduce gender, regional and urban–rural disparities. While, the Xth Plan made a modest attempt to focus on education, the Eleventh Plan has gone much beyond that and made education as one of the major thrust areas. School Education & Literacy has thus been given the highest priority in Plan allocation. Out of the total outlay of `2.70 lakh crore envisaged in the XIth Plan for Education (Central Sector), including Higher & Technical Education, an amount of over `1.85 lakh crore is for School Education & Literacy, including `1.25 lakh crore for elementary education, `6000 crore for literacy/ adult education programmes, and `53,550 crore for secondary education.
