IT for Change conducted a study on the "Little KITEs" program, implemented by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), across 2,174 high schools in Kerala. Our study report highlights how the program equips students with learning that goes beyond technological literacy and skills. The program helps students develop an inclination towards inquiry, imagination, and inclusion, apart from advanced skills in the areas of AI, robotics, etc. One of the components of the program, Amma Ariyan, equips students to teach their mothers basic digital literacy skills, as well as gain a critical understanding of digital technologies, to avoid being victims of fake news, scams, etc. The program is pioneering and Finland has expressed interest in adapting this program to their schools, in collaboration with KITE.
Based on our study, UNICEF produced a report titled 'Empowering adolescents with future-ready skills – the inspiring story of Little KITEs’ which was released by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Kerala in July 2024 in Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking at the event, our Director and Lead - Education and Technology, Gurumurthy Kasinathan emphasized the need for a ‘Big Kites’ program, which would focus on education for adults and lifelong learning, mediated by digital technologies, including social media platforms. Such education is essential to build the ‘political will’ to address societal challenges of climate change, social strife, and unemployment, he underlined. His talk can be accessed here (from 1.17).
