How Vizag Is Becoming The Hub For Digital Education

Vishakhapatnam or Vizag is the financial capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is going to be the next IT capital of south India. Vizag is the centre of education, research and learning. There is a huge scope for education and IT related business.

Recently, the government of Andhra Pradesh has launched India's first “Intelligent Global Hub for Digital Pedagogies (IGHDP) or I-hub” in Vizag to promote social and emotional learning through digital pedagogy.

The I-hub will consist of a research centre for learning, Design University, 4-D school, global certification bureau, start-up incubator and skill development institute.

Gamification in Learning

Gamification has been widely used to maximize enjoyment and engagement by capturing the interest of learners and inspiring them to continue learning. Led by Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), the I-hub will mainly explore the possibilities of using gaming technology for educational purposes. It will be a mix of for-profit and not-for-profit entities.

Anantha Duraiappah, the director, MGIEP, said, "As everything around us is becoming increasingly digitised, the pressing need to digitise students' learning process requires immediate concern. Digital content such as games is extremely capable of equipping students with social and emotional skills.”

Vizag will be the administrative unit along with side-unit components such as game developing centres, design university and research labs. The campus will also have a school for children with special needs for easy access to relevant learning material including games and experiential virtual reality.

Advanced Teacher Training

The role of teachers in the coming years will be paramount. One of the major factors behind changing the scenario of digitised education in India is training teachers to implement and design a curriculum based on digital pedagogy. The training centre at i-hub will train government school teachers of Andhra Pradesh to develop the curriculum and facilitate learning through digital pedagogy.

"Teachers should be equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills to develop content online using multi-sensory tools, video and audio formats are crucial," said Anantha.

Boosting Tourism Industry

The I-hub will become a platform for international organisations to collaborate and contribute their expertise towards India's development in the education sector.

Adityanath Das, special chief secretary, department of school and higher education, the government of Andhra Pradesh, said, "AP government is keenly investing in establishing the I-hub as it will gather global recognition for Vizag. Collaboration with international organisations and governments of foreign countries will increase the human resource mobility, which will give a boost to the tourism industry in the city."

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