Ever since Independence, India has been striving to provide better educational opportunities to all. Despite the efforts, universal primary education has eluded us. Many innovative programmes like Operation Blackboard, Special Orientation Programme for Teachers, DPEP, and now the Sarva Shiksha Abiyan at the National level and many state level interventions, Lok Jumbish, Bihar Education Project, Andhra Pradesh Primary Education Programme, to name a few have tried to assuage some of the ills that are plaguing the system. The major challenges have been: getting children to school, retaining them there and seeing to it that children receive meaningful and relevant instruction. Much needs to be done in all these three areas. Convinced that internet and web based technologies can be a very useful and apt tool, Vidya Online has committed itself to the use and popularisation of ICT for education. This website is a step in this direction.

Realising that teachers, researchers and general public are the three most important instruments of change in education, Vidya Online aims at building up comprehensive sections to cater to their requirements and to network them for mutual help and support. The object is to nurture a cooperative effort of teachers, teacher educators, academics and concerned individuals and groups aimed at introspection, critical appraisal and discussion on education.

The site is organized as follows:

Curricular Support Content - Methodology
Resources Public documents - Articles - Reviews - Journals
Bookshelf Digital books - Book reviews and extracts- catalogue
Forum Discussion - Help
E-courses Enrichment - Technology in education
Contacts Individual contacts - Government organisations - NGOs

Teachers can use this site to:

1. share their experience and innovations
2. raise and discuss issues of relevance to them and their pupils
3. seek help from academics and fellow teachers
4. improve their mastery over content
5. analyse and perfect their classroom transactions
6. collect relevant digital media to develop their own teaching learning modules
7. understand issues related to the education of children
8. understand the process of curriculum development and implementation

The site offers curricular support materials, books in digital form, general readings, a list of resource persons and institutions engaged in primary education, help and discussion forums, e-courses and guidance to conduct classroom research.

How to use this section

Teachers are encouraged to browse through the sections, select what is relevant to them, modify it where necessary and integrate the resources into their own plans. These sections do not aim at spoon-feeding teachers but expects them to critically review / analyse each resource before using it. We also encourages teachers to give their feedback on the utility of these materials. Contributions of their own experiments and innovations are also welcome.

How to contribute to this section

The content available at present must be considered as exemplar material. The ultimate success of this section is when teachers begin contributing, reviewing, and translating content bits and taking ownership of the sections.

The site is also for the general public

Concerned public can contribute constructively to the betterment of primary education. We see multiple roles for them. They could engage in discussions and view the education process from their perspective. As parents they could get more involved in the process of education. On one hand it will help them become aware of the educational process. On the other, it will involve them proactively in the reform process. They could form associations and committees and help local schools. They could act as librarians and make available books, articles and other web resources to teachers. They could help improve the school infrastructure. They could help organise co-curricular activities. In short there are innumerable ways in which concerned individuals can be useful to the schooling system. Such involvement will also bring them face-to-face with ground realities. We invite them to lend their voice to generate a public pressure to improve quality of education.

The website aims at getting people to participate proactively in the process of education and patronise primary schools. The section on Resources offers general readings in education, and other resources that can help them understand the intricacies of education better.

How to use these sections

Read and critically analyse the content available on the site. Participate in discussions and share experiences, which could benefit others, especially teachers.

How to contribute to these sections

The cherished goal of these sections are to involve more and more people in the education process. Community ownership and participation is of great importance if we wish to enhance learning achievement and a meaningful schooling. Contributions to these sections either in the form of articles or views and experiences will help present the peoples perspective of education and this perspective will complement the teachers and the researchers perspective.

Researchers can also benefit from this site

The site is also aimed at researchers in the field of primary education and seeks to provide selections of abstracts, reviews, articles on research in primary education and categorised links to online journals and other resources. Functioning more or less as a cyber librarian, it aims to package information and aid searches. Online tutors on various aspects of research methodology are also proposed.

How to use these sections

Critically read and value add to the articles. Form specialised groups to discuss research problems and methodologies. Help fellow researchers and seek academic support and expert opinions.

How to contribute to these sections

There is a huge gap between theory and practice in primary education. There are many theoreticians who know little of practice and teachers. Teachers, on the other hand, have little time to theorise, and probably, are also intimidated by the idea of theory with its domination by academics. These sections can become a bridge between the two. Researchers can contribute articles that can be beneficial to both fellow researchers and teachers. Contributions can also draw attention to specific problem areas.