The Tribune Principals’ Meet: School Heads favour judicious use of technology

More than 40 principals from Kangra and nearby districts attended the Principals’ Meet organised by The Tribune Group of Newspapers in association with Chitkara University here on Wednesday. The topic of the event was ‘Technology Integration in Schools: Opportunities and Challenges.’

Manjit Singh Ghai, a corporate trainer, was the keynote speaker. He gave a holistic view on the need for technology in schools to cope up with the global trends, citing examples from his own treasured experience.

Majority of the principals who participated in the session were of the unanimous view that the integration of technology in educational institutions was need of the hour to skill and scale up. A few of them who came from remote areas emphasised the need of internet connectivity and also supported limited and judicious use of technology.

The heads of the institutions spoke about the opportunities available and potential challenges confronted by them. In the age of artificial intelligence, new methodologies are required for teachers and students when every information is already available on the Internet.

A few participants raised concern on the negative impact of modern gadgets on the physical and mental health of the children, calling them as major side-effects. But, a vast majority supported the use of technology considering it an integral part of the present-day learning. They were of the confirmed view that technology has to be integrated in schools and teachers need to constantly update themselves or cut a sorry figure as the youth is tech savvy and is fluent in day-to-day technology apps.