Talking Shop: Pen & Paper Only, Please

“Technology is so much fun,

but we can drown in that

same tech-water. The fog

of information can drive out

knowledge and learning.”

― Daniel J Boorstin

Learning is going back to its old ways. No, this is not about classrooms under a peepal (sacred fig) tree, with a turbaned sage anointed in a loin cloth reciting the Vedas and Upanishads. This is about scrapping digital technology and its screen-heavy gizmos and devices, opting for good old pen and paper. Of all places and nations, it is tech-savvy Sweden which has grabbed pole-position in this march, with much of Europe likely to follow.

For those wondering what led to this revolutionary step in today’s tech-hungry times, here it is. Most teenagers in Europe, asked basic math questions, balked and faltered. Asked to name capitals of prominent countries, they were clueless. Questioned on run-of-the-bill geography and history, even about their own nations, they were completely befuddled.

Clearly, we are not creating any mental super-heroes or prodigies of erudition with today’s global education practices. Our youth are blessed and gifted in using and browsing data on Smart devices like phones, tablets and laptops, but they are not matching that in matters that truly massage or tickle our grey cells. Information is winning hands down, but knowledge and mental development are taking a beating—all the way to the data banks and memory cards that are ubiquitously used to store bits and bytes that we rely on for everything now.

Jury Stays Divided

It is this that spurred Sweden to revert to the education system of yore. The jury is out, more so as questions and doubts abound. This approach may work for the majority, but what about those with developmental delays, whom visuals help to learn? Similarly, for those who find it tough to write no matter how hard they try, typing is a good solution. Also, suddenly deciding to teach math and physics on paper, not calculators and laptops, would be a pushback.

It is a tough call to make, for every levitated solution is clouded by hums and haws and sees and saws. After all, this is a question that will decide the mental capacities of future generations. We wouldn’t want to hand over the controls of the nuclear football to hands and heads even less callused and utilized than the ones clasping them now, would we?

Then, there’s the question of business. Education is a trillion-dollar industry worldwide, a sector that will never go bearish or see slowdowns. It is critical, therefore, to study whether the decision to completely remove digital tools from education is an over-correction, and not such a balanced solution.

Perhaps, instead of banning screens altogether, we should focus on a structured digital integration. Perhaps we can weigh whether technology can be used judiciously, in a manner that adds value and reinforces traditional skills like reading, writing and problem-solving?

Too many questions. Too much doubt. Too much at stake. There’s also the unpretentious truth that technology isn’t an enemy. Its misuse is. If digital learning is causing problems like reduced comprehension and receding intelligence, the answer is regulating its use, not eliminating it.

Indian Digital Divide

India has its own peculiarities. A World Bank study reported that 56.1 per cent of children under 10 years cannot even read common words, apart from being weak in basic math. The National Education Policy introduced the NIPUN Bharat Program recently, aimed at attaining basic learning competencies for Class III students by 2027.

The digital education divide between rural and urban areas is significant in India. For instance, the Azim Premji Foundation found that 60 per cent of Indian children cannot access online learning. A similar study by Oxfam India said even in urban India, half the parents had issues with Internet signals and speed. A third struggled with the cost of data access.

The American Indian Foundation (AIF) also wonders whether digital can indeed operate independently from traditional classroom teaching, or solely as an aid to it. AIF Fellow Afnan questions: “Does digital education encourage a more transactional relationship between the teacher and the learner, as opposed to a wholesome experience of learning outdoors, making connections and learning by doing?”

Researchers at Allison Academy feel gadgets “have limits”. Nancy Kassebaum says: “There can be infinite uses of computers and technology, but if teachers are not able to bring them into the classroom, then all fails.” Andrew Barras ads: “Tech in the classroom is not the end-goal. Enabling learning is.” Keith Krueger sums it up: “Software is only a tool, just like textbooks. It cannot replace teachers and parental involvement.”

What’s A Smarter Way?

Education should have evolved with time, not regress. Therefore, the crackdown by educationists, while well-intentioned, may be lacking in foresight and missing an important determinant—does it throw away the good with the bad? Anyway, who will decide what is good, or what isn’t?

When in doubt, look at me. My kind. We are made of a different metal-mettle. We were well out of college and into our first jobs when mobile phones were conceived. Satellite TV and the Internet happened after friends had had children—we missed out on learning about the birds and the bees in technicolour. For entertainment, we had family, friends and a whole new world.

The outdoors, the neighbour uncle who swore when we plucked his guavas or mangos, the colony chowkidar who went blue blowing his whistle at us, or the bleary-eyed morning jogger who cussed when we returned after a late-night walk for paranthas at the bus stop. Along the way, we learnt.

We had books, copies, pencils, pens and a faithful geometry box. If the compass wasn’t drawing circles or calculating radii and circumference, it helped in pricking someone’s right appendage in the wrong place. We had kunjis (answer books) that told all and farras (‘illegal’ answer slips on paper) that hid well in the most inappropriate places.

We had tea that masqueraded as tobacco for joints and prepared us for adulthood, while the same leaves turned water into rum or whiskey, depending on our patience level. The task of rotating TV antennas on rooftops taught us about radio waves and their criticality in human lives, especially as it brought to us Chitrahaar, Hum Log, Sunday movies and the 1983 World Cup Finals. Life was learning. Learning is good.

We learnt well. We still solve complicated math questions in our heads. We write passably well. We respect our elders and help those in need. Our hearts ache at the sight of untimely reversals. We know good from bad—for our families, fellow man and nation. We understand finances and the economics that keep households and heads above water. We feel excitement, joy and sorrow. Isn’t all of this education?

Financial Blee-Blah

Globally, the business of education—traditional learning and EdTech—has been skyrocketing, estimated to touch US $10 trillion (Rs 8.8 crore crore) by 2030. In India, the education market was valued at US $117 billion (Rs 10,29,600 crore) in FY ’20 and is set to reach US $225 billion (Rs 19,80,000 crore) in the ongoing financial year.

India’s EdTech space is projected to grow from US $750 million (Rs 6,600 crore) in 2021 to US $30 billion (Rs 2,60,400 crore) by 2031, a salient shift towards digital learning, the India Brand Equity Foundation says.

Such is a lure of this business size that the sector is seeing the entry of global groups and private equity funds. Despite rapid digitalization, a large portion of educators (93 per cent) report a higher workload due to changes in pedagogy, while 92 per cent predict better education outcomes with the integration of tech.

“When tradition marries science, the results can be ideal. But education begins at home, and that trend is dying out, given today’s double-income, nuclear families. No one has time and children are left to their own devices, literally, which is a dangerous recipe,” says Nirmala Appakalam, a teacher in Kerala.

What’s needed is an integration of tech and traditional teaching. While Sweden highlights the advantages of reverting to basics, it prompts a debate on tailoring educational strategies to diverse learning environments and individual student needs. In the end, the goal is simple –equip students with the knowledge and adaptability to love and thrive in an evolving world.

The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist. He can be reached on [email protected]. Views expressed are personal