India’s Tech Learning Revolution Isn't On Screens. It's On The Ground | OPINION

— By Pravesh Dudani

Walk into any government school in rural India, and you'll likely find kids full of curiosity, energy, and ambition. What you won't find, however, are tablets, high-speed internet, or smartboards. And yet, in pockets across the country, these very students are learning how to work with real-world technologies, without ever owning a digital device. That's the quiet revolution we're beginning to witness.

India has over 250 million students in its education system. And while tech-led learning has become the headline, the reality is more nuanced. During the pandemic, over 70% of Indian school children had no access to devices or connectivity, according to UNICEF. For many, that gap still exists. Not because they don't want access because the infrastructure around them doesn't allow it.

So the question is: How do we teach technology in a country where most learners don't own technology?

Not Just A Digital Divide, But A Learning Divide

The divide here isn't just between those who have gadgets and those who don't. It's between those who can experience learning and those who are expected to just observe it. Urban students get polished online platforms, while rural students struggle with power cuts and poor bandwidth. And in this unequal race, opportunity slips quietly away from millions.

As per the Internet in India Report 2024, India reached 886 million active internet users, with rural areas leading the surge at 488 million, accounting for 55% of the total. While mobile phones remain the dominant access point across regions, urban internet growth is plateauing, whereas rural areas are witnessing double the growth rate. More students are now gaining internet exposure, though often limited, as access to digital devices is typically routed through parents or faculty, steadily expanding new learning pathways across the country.

However, while digital tools can aid and accelerate learning, they cannot replace the lasting impact of hands-on experience. The deep, tactile understanding that comes from practical learning simply can't be replicated by screens. With the implementation of NEP 2020, India's education landscape is steadily shifting towards a model rooted in experiential learning, where doing takes centre stage and technology plays a supportive, complementary role.

Learning By Doing, Not Just Downloading

At NEP-aligned Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), which work closely with industries, students engage directly with tools - even if they don't own them. A student studying logistics may not have a laptop. But inside a partner warehouse, they learn digital inventory systems hands-on. A healthcare learner may not access simulation software at home, but in a lab, they can assist with diagnostics using the same tech used in hospitals. They're not watching tutorials. They're using the real thing. Physical interaction with learning is imperative as it cements understanding and memory in ways screens alone cannot.

This work-integrated model is reframing what tech literacy really means. It's not about device ownership. It's about access to real, applicable experiences.

Teachers And Innovation At The Last Mile

If there's one group that deserves more credit, it's the teachers. In many parts of India, they're the ones turning low-tech classrooms into high-impact spaces. They repurpose outdated computers, use offline modules, and set up peer-learning circles: all to make sure their students aren't left behind.

They've shown that innovation isn't always expensive. Sometimes, it's just deeply resourceful.

Government is Listening

The government, too, is recognising the need to go beyond screens. The announcement of 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in Budget 2025-26 is a big step. These labs, set up under NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission, offer school students tools to experiment with electronics, robotics, and basic engineering.

The idea is simple: let them tinker, fail, learn, and try again. This hands-on spirit is more valuable than any PDF textbook.

What We're Learning About Learning

The biggest takeaway is this: students don't need individual gadgets to learn tech. They need ecosystems that allow them to experience it.

This is what skills universities, apprenticeship-based learning models, and industry-linked HEIs are doing. They're not replacing classroom learning, but they are reshaping it — layering real work environments over theoretical concepts.

Engineering students work on factory floors with automation tools. IT students support real-time data processing in startups. This kind of exposure not only builds skills, it builds confidence—the kind that comes from knowing, “I've done this before.”

Moving Beyond Tokenism

The push for EdTech often stops at app-based learning. But learning isn't about clicking through slides. It's about comprehension, application, feedback, and iteration. Real learning sticks when students get their hands dirty - literally.

If we want equity, we need to build infrastructure, not just distribute devices. We need labs, industry partnerships, roving tech vans, satellite campuses, and above all, teachers who can adapt.

India's learning revolution may not be happening on high-speed fibre networks. It's happening in community labs, shop floors, mobile units, and the minds of determined students and educators.

And it's time we shifted the conversation from "digital learning" to "tech-enabled opportunity for all".

(The author is the Founder & Chancellor, Medhavi Skills University.)

[Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd.]

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