Dr. Madhav Chavan Discusses Why Technology Alone Won’t Save Education

Pratham co-founder and CEO Dr. Madhav Chavan is featured in Big Think, an Internet forum of interviews, multimedia presentations and roundtable discussions with field experts. This interview centers around the effectiveness of technology in the classroom.

While Dr. Chavan is not anti-technology, he’s cautious about using it as a “magic bullet solution” to what he sees as an inadequate education system.

“The education system as it has existed over the [last] 200 years is a very linear one,” notes Dr. Chavan.

Rather like an assembly line, students move from grade to grade, absorbing and regurgitating facts. Technology, however, operates in a non-linear environment where all kinds of information can be accessed at any time, and problem-solving skills are emphasized.

“Giving children access to technology is important, but doing so will only have an effect if we make fundamental adjustments to our education system. If innovation is going to shape the way the world runs in the next 50-100 years, it only makes sense to shift how we prepare students to face that future.”

Dr. Chavan adds, “The important thing is to learn the skill of learning.”

Such is the basis of Pratham’s programs. Our interactive learning methods bypass India’s traditional rote memorization by encouraging children to think for themselves, seek out answers, and solve problems cooperatively with others.

Read the full article on Big Think or watch this clip from Dr. Chavan’s interview:

Learn about one of our technology initiatives through the Pratham InfoTech Foundation.