ABSTRACT
The central argument of this chapter is that without the aid of Educational Technology (EduTech),1 the Right to Education (RTE) will remain either unrealised or will only result in a mediocre education quality. An exactly similar fate will befall vocational training and higher education as without the intervention of EduTech, quality education on a large scale — which is the crying need of India — it is just not possible. It’s perhaps best to address the predictable cynicism that surrounds EduTech at the outset, and in many cases, justifi - ably so. But opponents and detractors are missing a crucial point here. Arguing that EduTech does not, or rather cannot, make a signifi cant diff erence is perhaps akin to a Luddite arguing against the introduction of printed books during Johannes Gutenberg’s time. Just as print technology revolutionised the phenomenon of information and knowledge dissemination, so can EduTech. But just as bad textbooks and curriculum can wreak havoc, similarly the mere insertion of EduTech without proper thought and design will at best make no diff erence and at worst have a negative impact on the quality of education. Puritans may well argue that print technology, which allows relatively cheap production and distribution of textbooks, should have a rightful place in the list of EduTech. However, for the purpose of this chapter it has been excluded owing to the fact that it’s now universally embedded in all systems though its content and production quality in many a case is perhaps far from ideal.
