The Haryana government spent Rs 700 crore during the COVID period to distribute tablets to 5 lakh students, the aim of which was to promote digital education. But three years later, these tablets neither have SIM cards nor internet facility, nor is any study being done through them. The syllabus till 2025-26 is uploaded in them, but the use is zero. This article raises questions on the negligence of the government system, flaws in policy making and the deception done with the future of children. The show-off of technology has become the murderer of the right to education.
COVID-19 made the whole world, including India, aware of the importance of the digital form of education. When schools were closed, online classes became the only educational lifeline for children. In such a situation, the Haryana government’s decision to distribute tablets to 5 lakh students for Rs 700 crore seemed a laudable one. The plan was that students would connect with modern technology, enter the world of digital knowledge, and the level of government education would rise. But as time passed, this plan turned into a false promise, a superficial effort, and a waste of a huge budget.
A report exposed the truth of this scheme. According to the report, even after three years of distribution of tablets, students have not used them properly. Today, these tablets are lying idle without a SIM, without internet facility, and any technical support. The syllabus for three years is uploaded in them, but no studies have been done. Even the Education Minister has now come to know about this situation, and he is preparing to meet the Chief Minister.
This is no ordinary mistake. This is a political sham in the name of education. Such schemes not only waste the time and future of students but also do injustice to the most vulnerable sections of society – poor, Dalit, rural children – who can study only in government schools.
The question is, who is responsible for the fundamental failure of such a big scheme?
The government implemented this scheme without any ground preparation. Tablets were distributed, but they did not have SIM cards or a network. There was no Wi-Fi facility in the school. Teachers were not trained on how to teach using these tablets. There was no helpline or support staff for technical assistance. Electricity and charging facilities were also not ensured in the children’s homes. Ignoring these basic questions, only distributing tablets was considered a scheme. This thinking itself was the seed of failure. Distributing tablets is not education, but making them useful, training children, and sensitizing teachers towards it was the real work.
The major reason for this failure is our bureaucratic and political culture, where schemes are made only for ‘show’. Getting photographed, issuing press releases and garnering applause on social media becomes the real objective. There is no accountability for how the scheme is being implemented on the ground.
This has had a direct impact on children. Imagine a rural child who got a tablet, but it had no internet, no teacher, no guidance – in such a situation, the tablet became just an electronic toy for him.
The other aspect of the plan is that the education department had already uploaded the syllabus of three years in these tablets. That is, it was assumed that once the children get the tablet, their studies will be done automatically. This thinking shows that the education department is looking at the children as “consumers” and not as “students”.
Now the question arises – is uploading the syllabus on the tablet the only education? Has the role of the teacher become so insignificant that it is just a formality? Does digital education mean only distributing devices?
Education is a dialogue – a two-way process. In this, technology can be a medium, not an end. Unless the teacher, student, and content are all connected, education is incomplete. Tablets alone cannot complete this triangle.
Another shocking thing in this entire incident is that no audit was done even after three years of the scheme. No official tried to find out whether the tablets were being used or not. This shows how weak the evaluation and monitoring mechanism of the scheme is in the education department.
The truth is that such schemes involve a dirty game of corruption, commission, and political propaganda. From the purchase of tablets to their distribution, malpractices are possible at many levels, and this is why the education department is silent on this failure.
Is there no solution to this? Of course there is.
The government should immediately conduct a survey of the status of tablets. Wi-Fi facility should be installed compulsorily in every school. Teachers should be trained in digital education. A technical assistant should be appointed in every school. Data of tablet usage should be made public every month. A pilot project is necessary before implementing any digital scheme in the future.
And the most important thing is that while making policies in the field of education, the opinions of teachers and students should be included. Just sitting in the secretariat and making plans is now playing with the future of education.
We have to understand that a child studying in a government school also comes with a dream – he wants to become a doctor, a scientist, a teacher, or a writer. But when he is given such “closed tablets”, it is a betrayal of his dreams.
The tablet scheme is a warning—that if governments continue to treat education as a propaganda tool, the future of millions of children will be in the dark. Digitalisation of education is necessary, but it is possible not just with devices, but with policy, training, and monitoring.
Therefore, the time has come to stop running after technology and develop an understanding of its better use. Instead of burning Rs 700 crore in the name of tablets, it would have been better if that money had been used to build libraries, labs, and appoint trained teachers in thousands of schools.
Today, there is a need to look at education as a service, not a deal. And students should be considered the creators of the future, not customers.
