The Ministry of Education has announced the formation of a new National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT 3.0) to employ technology to improve learning outcomes in higher education.

It is based on a Public-Private Partnership model developed by the Indian government and education technology (Ed-Tech) enterprises.

Features

• NEAT’s goals are to bring the greatest technology solutions in education pedagogy on a single platform for the benefit of economically and socially disadvantaged members of society.
• Target Areas: Artificial Intelligence-based technology solutions for tailored learning or e-content in specialty areas with highly employable abilities are being found for presenting on the site.
• Modus Operandi: The government intends to provide free vouchers for a variety of courses offered by ed-tech businesses under this scheme.
• All India Council for Technical Education is in charge of implementation (AICTE).

How will it bridge digital divide

• The National Education Alliance for Technology (NEAT), which is being implemented by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), aims to act as a bridge between edtech companies, academic institutions and students. The initiative was taken after a Ministry of Education review noted that learning tools developed by edtech platforms that can supplement classroom teaching need to be made more accessible. Accordingly, it was proposed that a portal be created where edtech platforms can be roped in to display their products after a shortlisting process.
• The basic objective of the scheme is to make students from disadvantaged backgrounds aware of the availability of such opportunities that can help them learn new skills or polish existing ones. In that regard, the AICTE reached out to higher education institutes across the country, directing them to inform students about the portal and enroll them based on their needs and consent. The edtech platforms have been allowed to charge fees as per their policies.
• The government has mandated that every shortlisted company will have to offer free coupons to the extent of 25 per cent of the total registrations for their solution through NEAT portal. Through this route, the government created a bank of 12.15 lakh free coupons over the last two years. And it has now started distributing those coupons among students belonging to SC/ST/OBC and EWS categories with the annual family income cap fixed at Rs 8 lakh.

Way forward

• Public educational institutions are role models for social inclusion and relative equality. It is a place where people of all genders, classes, castes, and communities can come together without having to bow to others. As a result, technology cannot substitute for schools or teachers. As a result, rather than “teachers vs technology,” it should be “teachers with technology.”
• Providing Educational Technology Infrastructure: In the short term, there must be a process in place to properly map the ed-tech environment, particularly its scope, reach, and effect. Access, equity, infrastructure, governance, and quality-related outcomes and issues for teachers and students should be prioritised. Special emphasis must be made to bridging the digital gap on two fronts: access and skills for efficiently utilising technology and reaping its advantages.
• A comprehensive Ed-tech policy framework must prioritise four critical elements:
• providing access to learning, particularly for underserved populations.
• Enabling teaching, learning, and assessment procedures.
• Facilitating teacher education and ongoing professional development.
• Improving governance mechanisms, including processes for planning, management, and monitoring.

How to structure

1. Give an intro about National Education Alliance for Technology (NEAT) Scheme
2. Explain its features and objectives
3. Examine its role in bridging the digital divide in India
4. Suggest further measures and Conclude

Reference:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/neat-scheme-digital-inequality-explained-7723122