India’s digital railways, affordable smartphones, expanding data access, and public ed-tech platforms have pushed learning far beyond the school gate. NEP 2020 doesn’t treat technology as a shiny add-on; it builds a dedicated engine for digital content, training, and local-language access. From SWAYAM’s open courses to DIKSHA’s teacher communities and QR-linked textbooks, the system is rewiring how lessons are made, shared, and remixed. SWAYAM PRABHA’s 24×7 learning channels and ePathshala’s multilingual libraries show what “anytime, anywhere” can look like at national scale. But infrastructure is only the start.

The real unlock is when technology helps children play, practice, and persist. Low-bandwidth options that worked during school closures, TV, radio, WhatsApp, proved that reach and relevance matter more than fancy features. Done right, ICT isn’t a screen; it’s a bridge: between home and school, between teachers across districts, and between textbook concepts and lived experience. Sesame Workshop India operates exactly on this bridge. “Chalo! Sesame Street” uses games, stories, and rewards to lift early literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills for families with patchy connectivity. “Learn, Play, Grow” blends digital tools with tactile materials so teachers can keep learning joyful and concrete. “Bol Daddy Bol” brings fathers into the circle through playful WhatsApp nudges, because the best “device” a child has is a tuned-in adult. By designing for low-resource settings and multilingual realities, SWI shows how to convert infrastructure into impact.

ICT also democratizes teacher growth. Video coaching, shared lesson banks, and quick data snapshots help teachers differentiate instruction and celebrate small wins. When a teacher sees progress daily, not just at exam time, motivation rises on both sides of the desk.

The headline is simple: when tech is human-centered and play-first, it widens opportunity instead of widening gaps.