Akangjungla
Advancing digital education in Nagaland
With the literacy rate of 80.11 per cent as per the census of 2011, the state of Nagaland has over seven hundred schools spread across the twelve districts. However, the learning outcomes have been lacking in quality and the challenges attributing to the unsatisfactory results are considerable. The pandemic has further disrupted education with students being confronted with the learning downturn. Amidst the shutdowns, the education sector including the policymakers, managements, teachers and students are adopting to digital learning despite the challenges of inadequate infrastructure and poor internet connectivity.
Given the scenario, when the pandemic hit the State and the whole world went under lockdown, to provide continuous learning to students, the Department of School Education (DoSE), Nagaland started producing and uploading educational videos for all the classes through their YouTube channel and Facebook pages. In the process, NagaEd, a leading digital education provider, and the Department worked together to develop a software solution where they were able to channelize all the video and resources to a school-specific approach wherein they could directly connect with the students and monitor their learning.
In order to work towards designing a digital education delivery model to provide students with access to quality educational resources, undertaking a statewide digital education experience survey was the most realistic step. This partnership between the state education department and NagaEd to hear the voice of the parents and students in Nagaland is proving beneficial; though it does not address the question of if digital education can bridge the wide gap between rural and urban areas.
Recently, DoSE and NagaEd signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a digital delivery model for schools across the state. The Memorandum agrees that both parties will develop strategies to effectively provide digital education services to students, teachers, and institutes in Nagaland. NagaEd will also provide consulting, research, and advisory services to the Department in order to develop the Digital Delivery Model of Nagaland.
In March 2021, Australian educators started working with teachers from Nagaland to co-design an education delivery model that provides students access to quality education resources. The project, initiated by NagaEd, has created a modularised digital crash course to support class 10 students with their HSLC exams. In May 2021, NagaEd curated free educational resources to assist students and teachers in continuing education. In September 2021, NagaED partnered with Consult For Humanity (CFH) to help advance digital education in Nagaland. The three months-long collaboration between the two organizations focused on successfully co-creating a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding toolkit to help accelerate NagaEd towards providing quality blended education across the state. During this period, CFH also assisted in developing a Theory of Change that helps bring accountability to NagaEd’s goals and objectives as well as providing a blueprint for evaluating the short, medium and long term success of the company.
Leading the way for advancing digital education in Nagaland, NagaEd is taking a ground-breaking path for enabling the learning and teaching solutions for students, teachers and institutions seeking a digitally enabled educational experience. Founders, Shiroi Lily Shaiza and Kevisato Sanyü are the faces of reimagining the Naga learning experience as they continue to transform their idea into realistic attainment of creating a learning society where all Nagas are provided equal opportunity to access quality education resources.
With the vision to ‘work at resolving issues the Naga community is facing, to change some of the attitude and behaviour within the Naga community and the way we treat ourselves and interact with each other,’ digital education provider like NagaEd is the ray of hope for the entire education sector in Nagaland that will bridge the very big digital divide among students.
Clearly, there is still more to be done in term of designing a digital education delivery model which is accessible and adaptable to all the students in Nagaland. Nonetheless, with the Government working closely with non-governmental organizations and education technology provider groups to be better equipped in digital education can help the State to ensure its citizens are not left behind as Shaiza rightly articulates, “The transition to digital education is not a question of if, but when.”
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