Information and Technology | ICT in Education | Limits of ICT in e-government (2023)

ICT stands for information and communication technologies. The term gives information technology (IT) a broader meaning. IT refers to all communication technologies that allow information to be accessed, retrieved, stored, transmitted and modified digitally.

LowUPSC Mains GS 3 Syllabus, the topic "ICT" can be elaborated according to the following sub-topics:

• Science and technology - developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
• Indian Achievements in Science and Technology; Indigenization of technology and development of new technologies.
• Awareness in the areas of IT, computer science.

SinceIAS examFrom this point of view, this article provided information about ICT in education and the limits of ICT in e-government. Brief data on types of ICT skills and ICT use are also mentioned.

Candidates should attempt to include this information in their UPSC Mains responses.

What are ICT in everyday life?

ICT is also used to indicate the convergence of media technology such as audiovisual and telephone networks with computer networks through a unified cabling system (including signal distribution and management) or interconnection system. However, there is no universally accepted definition of ICT, considering that ICT concepts, methods and tools are evolving almost daily.

Examples of ICT in everyday life are listed below:

1. Email: refers to ICT in online communication.
2. E-Commerce – / Refers to ICT in business
3. Internet banking: refers to ICT in the banking sector
4. E-government: refers to ICT in administration
5. E-learning: refers to ICT in learning.

ICT in Education - India

Currently, the central government has included ICT in schools as part of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, a national secondary education campaign.

Initiatives to integrate ICT into education are listed below:

1. SWAYAM
   • Ministry of Education and NPTEL, IIT Madras with the help of Google Inc. and Persistent Systems Ltd developed this platform.
   • The platform is based on the three basic principles of Indian education policy: access, equity and quality.
   • Providing all courses from grade 9 to postgraduate online for everyone for free.
   • The learning material formats provided on this platform are:
     • video conference
     • Specially prepared reading material for downloading/printing
     • Self-assessment tests through tests and questionnaires
     • An online discussion forum to ask questions
   • The nine national coordinators who help ensure the quality of the content are:
     • AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) for international and individualized courses
     • NPTEL (National Technology Enhanced Learning Program) for engineering
     • UGC (University Scholarship Commission) for non-technical postgraduate education
     • CEC (Educational Communication Consortium) for undergraduate teaching
     • NCERT (National Council for Educational Research and Training) for school education
     • NIOS (National Institute for Open Education) for school education
     • IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) for out-of-school students
     • IIMB (Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore) for management studies
     • NITTTR (National Institute for Training and Research of Technical Teachers) für das Lehrerausbildungsprogramm
   • Students earning a SWAYAM certificate must pay a fee to register for proctored final exams. The exams will take place at a designated location. '
2. i-Share for India
   • It is an initiative initiated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) to invite interested groups/agencies/organizations/municipalities to participate in establishing an educational resource fund for school and teacher training.
   • It enables contributions in the form of mobile apps/web-based ICT supplemental resources in any Indic language for school education or teacher training.
3. Shaala siddhi
   • It is a national school standards and evaluation program.
   • It is an initiative of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).
   • It runs under the auspices of the MHRD.
   • It works to assess school performance using the school scoreboard called "e-Samiksha".
4. Shaala Darpan
   • It is used to monitor primary and secondary schools.
5. Summary of the portal
   • It is a web portal launched in 2015 by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
   • The main goal of Saransh is to promote ICT in education in schools.
   • It is a self-assessment tool for schools and parents.
   • It is considered in accordance with theIndian digitalInitiative.
   • It is intended to grant access to all eBooks of all classes.
6. e-Pathshala
   • It is an initiative to provide online educational resources for students, teachers, educators and parents, developed by NCERT and the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET).
   • It is available as an app on Google Play and the Windows App Store.
   • Among other educational resources it offers,
     • CERT textbooks for grades 1-12
     • NCERT Audiovisual Resources
     • newspapers
     • additions
     • teaching modules and
     • A variety of other printed and unprinted materials
7. Digital gender atlas
   • It was designed to use specific gender indicators of education to identify geographic vulnerabilities for girls, particularly from marginalized groups such as high-level castes, high-level tribes, and Muslim minorities.
8. School GIS
   • It is a portal launched in 2016 that allows to find the geographic coordinates of the school in the countries.
   • A map shows school information by village, district, taluka, and classification.

Related topics:

Before reading further about ICT in e-government and its limitations, for the sake of clarity, you should familiarize yourself with IT-related topics. Candidates can get informationcomputer science knowledgefrom the given link.

ICT in E-Government

Information and communication technologies are a fundamental aspect when it comes to e-government. It has the potential to make life easier (or harder) for the average population if properly adapted. For now, the information below focuses on the limitations and benefits of ICT in governance.

Overview of ICT in Governance

Information and communication technologies play a key role in e-government. By carefully analyzing the data, the government can make political and socio-economic decisions. Successful implementation of ICT will provide a comprehensive solution to most, if not all, of India's governance problems.

In India, e-government applications have recently shown their positive impact in minimizing processing costs, increasing transparency and supporting economic development through income-generating companies, increasing agricultural production and improving health and education sectors, all of which are conducive to the overall quality of life of Indians.

To learn more about theImportance of e-governance, visit the linked article

Limits and benefits of ICT in governance

restrictions

The following are the limitations of ICT in governance

• This shift in bureaucratic culture might also find a similar response, as bureaucracies, increasingly reluctant to open up, can create many obstacles to ensure that the power they wield over the information they control is not diminished by that they are made public. fluid.
• In addition, the openness and transparency in administration that such activities strive for would also be feared by those groups of workers who do not want to be shamed for their inefficiency.
• Another limitation is the scarcity of funds, as with most public institutions in India. Precisely for this reason, such projects must be viewed as public-private initiatives that attract business people to invest in them.
• A standalone computer is useless and an injustice to its inherent capabilities. These computers, which speak unconsciously without human intervention, are the key to administrative reform. It is also important that once the databases have been prepared and configured, any additional transactions must be routed through the database so that the database is routinely and accidentally updated and remains relevant and dynamic at all times.

Advantages

The advantages of ICT in governance are the following:

• Greater transparency as the public can be informed of government decisions and policies.
• The efficiency of the current system as it would cost the same money and time. Better facilitation of communication between governments and companies will be possible.
• Society is moving towards mobile connectivity and the ability for an e-government service to be accessible to citizens regardless of their location in the country offers the next and potentially greatest benefit of an e-government service as we live in it what it is now called knowledge. it was.

Diploma

The nightmare of most government databases is that they are run by people, not systems, and therefore most are never updated when people leave. It is therefore vital that this process is ingrained in the department's bloodstream and that transactions are invariably made through the database and updated without conscious effort. In addition, common databases for different departments need a lot of attention and promotion. There should be centralized maintenance of databases at different strategic levels. Last but not least; Achieving this in a very short time will require strong political and administrative will.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) - UPSC Notes:-Download PDF here

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