Bharat Survey for EdTech (BaSE) conducted by Central Square Foundation found that over 40% of students in six states have never used educational technology for learning, 51% of children are currently using it and about 8% cent have stopped using it. Among children who were currently not using technology for learning, 61% cited schools reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic as the most prominent reason.
The survey covered 9,867 children in 6,000 households across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh between November 2022 and January 2023. The survey found that Youtube is the most popular tool among students who accessed the internet. The report was released during a day-long conclave conducted by Central Square Foundation in New Delhi. The non-profit works to improve learning outcomes of children, especially from low-income communities.
The survey revealed that 51% of children are currently using education technology. Urban households showed a higher prevalence of present users. The present users comprise of 72% of children studying secondary grades, 55% of children studying middle grades and 39% of children studying primary grades.
The survey found that English (84%) and mathematics (76%) were the most studied subjects using EdTech tools. With increasing grades, higher usage of EdTech tools to study Science/ EVS, English, Language, Coding, and GK (general knowledge) was reported.
53% students used technology for ease of understanding of complicated topics, 47% students for self-paced learning using education technology and 42% students for clarification of doubts.
The survey reflects that 89% students who used education technology accessed Youtube thereby making it the most popular tool used for learning. It was followed by WhatsApp (62%) and Google (52%). Overall, the prevalence of low-tech tools was low, which included text messages (8%), television (7%), and Interactive Voice Response System (7%).
The survey’s objective was to explore the extent of access to technology and enabling infrastructure such as electricity, smartphones, and the internet, as well as the extent of smartphone use by children.
