We love calling technology the magic wand of education.
And with 25 crore students, who wouldn’t want a shortcut?
But here’s the truth no app store wants to admit:
Tech-enabled education is a business plan. Education itself is a human plan.
Especially when we talk about Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), which is less of a subject and more of a way of living.
You can’t download values.
You can’t install wisdom.
And no matter how smart your classroom is, it still needs a smart teacher inside it.
When CBSE introduced value-based questions, students memorized the buzzwords beautifully… but behavior? That stayed offline.
Real learning isn’t a transaction.
It’s transformation.
Tech Should Support Teaching, Not Substitute It
Technology can expand access, personalize learning, and make lessons engaging.
Research from OECD and EdTech Hub repeatedly shows one thing:
Tech works only when teachers know how to use it.
Give an untrained teacher a smartboard, and it becomes a shiny whiteboard.
Give a trained teacher the same tool, and it becomes a window into new ways of thinking.
Here’s the thing:
Students may log in, but they only connect when the teacher guides the journey.
Otherwise, tech is just a high-budget distraction.
The Human Factor: Teachers Make IKS Come Alive
IKS cannot be felt through screens alone.
It requires teachers who don’t just teach values—they live them.
Research across India, Finland, and Singapore says the same thing:
When teachers lead with empathy and context, students internalize values naturally.
Tech helps teachers access resources
→ collaborate with peers
→ personalize learning
→ and create richer experiences
But the magic lies in the human connection:
the pause, the question, the smile, the story.
You can’t code that.
Education Is an Ecosystem, Not a Shortcut
Technology can bridge districts.
But only teachers can bridge hearts, homes, habits, and heritage.
IKS needs:
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Teachers who understand the local context
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Communities that support cultural learning
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Tech that amplifies teaching, not replaces it
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Policies that don’t rush to scale without building capacity
When you scale tech too fast, you widen the gap between what policy wants and what classrooms can handle.
It’s like installing a rocket engine on a bicycle—impressive, but nobody’s riding it.
The Path Forward: People First, Tech Next
After working across schools, districts, and communities, I’ve learned something simple:
Tech doesn’t transform education. Teachers do.
The role of technology is to empower them, not overshadow them.
If India wants IKS to become a lived reality:
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Invest in teachers
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Train them well
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Give them meaningful tech tools
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Let them anchor the change
Only then will IKS move from textbooks to mindsets, from curriculum to culture, from memory to behavior.
Tech can light the path.
But teachers carry the torch.