Media articles

The Ministry of School Education and Literacy recently released the 2021-22 Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) report, which provides information about all schools, teachers and students in India. A whole host of information; student enrolment, teacher deployment and school infrastructure including drinking water,…

School closures for a major part of the last two years due to the pandemic has impacted different children in different ways; many have not received structured learning opportunities. A majority of them are likely to have not progressed in their formal education and have also lost out on skills and knowledge they had acquired, owing to lack of…

In Solidarity is a SEWA Cooperative Federation podcast that explores themes relevant to women’s economic empowerment and challenges that women-owned, women-run enterprises face. In the first episode, titled The Great Gender Digital Divide, they are in conversation with Anita Gurumurthy, Founding Member and Executive Director, IT for Change.…

The European Commission’s proposal for a European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade – an important milestone towards a foundation for our shared digital world – reflects a predictable unease. It mirrors the fraught politics of our times; the tall order to recover the planet and people from the insatiable profit…

The faster pace of digitalization during the pandemic has tended to increase gender injustice. Systemic analysis, respect for the rule of law and a solidarity-driven strategy are essential to create a digital future that will benefit women.

The pandemic’s severity, scale…

Gurumurthy Kasinathan spoke to EPW engage about EdTech companies. While online education was once seen with doubt, Byju’s has reported consistent growth in users and the pandemic has given them a turbo boost. What are the implications of EdTech companies in changing how students learn and grow? What types of partnerships are EdTech companies…

India’s Budget 2022 presents digital infrastructure as key to economic recovery for the pandemic-hit economy. Several proposals suggest the ambition for digital resilience: Universal last-mile broadband connectivity, DESH-Stack e-portal for digital enskillment and jobs, delivery of hi-tech services to farmers, and digitalied backbones for…

For-profit edtech needs to be banned, and the government must play an active regulatory role.

After a Congress member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu highlighted the unethical practices of the Indian edtech companies in Parliament, the Ministry of Education (MoE) issued an advisory. The advisory asked parents to “verify that content…

The Draft Data Accessibility and Use Policy is silent on the norms, rules, and mechanisms to bring to fruition its vision.

In February 2022, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) released the draft India Data Accessibility and Use Policy 2022 (or Draft Policy) for public consultation. The Draft Policy aims at…

In the landmark case from 2018, Justice K. S. Puttaswamy vs Union Of India, the Supreme Court pitched Aadhaar-enabled welfare delivery as a promising move that can eliminate leakages in service delivery and address the “malaise” of ghost and duplicate beneficiaries. The court also cautioned the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)…