Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) will organise the G20 seminar on ‘role of digital technology in education’ at its research park on January 31, 2023, to identify policies for effective use of digital technology in education in the G20 member countries.
The G20 seminar is part of ‘Sherpa Track – First Education Working Group Meeting’, being held in Chennai from January 31 to February 2. The Education Working Group, under India’s presidency of G20, has a key objective to identify areas / themes to promote possible research and academic collaboration among educational institutions in G20 member countries.
The participants of the seminar include members of the G20 Education Working Group from each G20 member country, guest countries, and international organisations. There will also be participation from representatives of select academic institutions in G20 member countries that are engaged in initiatives for promoting the use of digital technologies for ensuring quality learning opportunities for all and improving learning outcomes. Besides, representatives of international organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, and OECD, among others are slated to attend the seminar.
Further, an exhibition with 50 stalls is also being organised as part of the grand event at the research park. The delegates from the participating nations would also be visiting IIT-M campus and will learn about the evolution of the institute over the years, from the newly-revamped IIT Madras Heritage Centre.
V Kamakoti, director, IIT-M, said, “It is a great honour for the institute to host this prestigious international seminar on an area of immense societal importance such as education and use of digital technology. The institute has a rich history of leveraging digital technology for education. IIT- M in 2020 had launched the world’s first BS degree in Programming and Data Science offered in online mode, which democratised access to quality education by removing barriers.”
The G20 seminar will focus on strengthening the use of digital technologies to enhance student learning opportunities and outcomes and leverage digital technologies for the education of special children. The participants will also share best practices relating to the use of digital technologies to promote inclusive and equitable quality education in G20 member countries, he said.
The discussions during the seminar will focus on how digital technologies could be used effectively to expand student learning opportunities and learning outcomes and to respond to the challenges each country faces in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) targets of achieving inclusive and quality education for all.
During the past few years, all G20 member countries have made significant progress in expanding digital technologies for improving educational access and the teaching-learning process. In view of SDG4-Education 2030 agenda, it is imperative that the remarkable advances relating to digital technology is harnessed to transform educational systems to improve learning outcomes, promote lifelong learning and narrow persistent learning deficits, according to a statement by IIT-M.
