Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 180 Research Article Status of Science education and ICT at Secondary school stage in Aspirational Districts of North India: An Analysis of NAS 2021 District Report Dheeraj Kumar1 & Mohd Mamur Ali2 1PhD Scholar, Department of Teacher Training and Non-Formal Education         (Institute of Advanced Studies in Education), Jamia Millia Islamia Email-gyan0074u@gmail.com 2Faculty of Education, Department of Teacher Training and Non-Formal Education         (Institute of Advanced Studies in Education), Jamia Millia Islamia Abstract This study aimed to examine the status of science education and ICT at the secondary school stage in the Aspirational Districts of North India. For this study, the districts report card of the National Achievement Survey (NAS) District Report 2021, which was considered a data source for 22 aspirational districts of six states and one Union Territory in North India. The secondary data were statistically analysed using frequencies, percentages, and averages. Finding of the study reveals that (1) students’ performance level decreases as they progress from the basic level to the advanced level, and not satisfactory (2) aspirational districts of North India show positive up to some extent developments in science education for girls, (3) the current state of science education indicates that students are not achieving the expected learning outcomes, and (4) the status of ICT is not in a good position in terms of accessibility to digital devices, particularly regarding internet connectivity and the adequacy of audio-visual resources in all aspirational districts of North India. Study concluded that the status of science education and ICT are not in good position in most of the aspirational districts of North India. Therefore, more collective efforts are needed to improve science education and ICT integration at the secondary school stage. Keywords: Aspirational Districts, ICT, Science education, Learning Outcomes, Girls Education Introduction ICT in education is generally considered a discipline, a set of resources, and a key skill. Within these three broad areas, ICT offers enormous benefits to society (Abdullai, 2013). The impact of technology on students’ achievement in science and the development of technological skills, pedagogical beliefs, and ICT capabilities is increasing (Lee et al., 2017). The use of digital simulations in learning Earth sciences has been found to have a positive impact on understanding relative chronology concepts (Nafid et al., 2018). ICT- rich environments provide a range of possibilities that enhance science learning (Rocha Fernandes et al., 2019). The use of technology in education can support the teaching-learning process at various stages (NEP 2020). ICT and Learning Outcomes in Science education Science education necessitates innovative techniques that enable students to grasp dynamic scientific concepts. Conventional teaching Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 181 methods need technological updates to enhance learning efficiency through psychological features. Therefore, the integration of ICT in science widely embraced by teachers and students. Technology is crucial for comprehending complex scientific terms and processes deeply. ICT-integrated learning techniques motivate students, foster collaboration, and encourage innovative thinking by providing opportunities to develop their own ideas. Furthermore, interactive multimedia learning applications enrich the learning process, improving the ability to present information systematically to achieve learning outcomes. For instance, Augmented Reality (AR) enhances motivation by integrating multimedia elements with theoretical concepts. AR merges virtual information with the real environment in real-time, enhancing user perception through visual, auditory, and tactile feedback, thereby exceeding traditional learning expectations (Sinha & Kumar, 2020). Girls in science education Science education should be leveraged as a tool for social change to reduce the socio-economic divide (National Focus Group on Science Education, 2006). In particular, providing quality education to girls from socio-economically disadvantaged groups will significantly enhance overall educational standards (NEP, 2020). Thus, understanding the progress of girls in science education at the secondary level is important. Aspirational Districts in North India To maintain and uplift the human development index and enhance the socio-economic conditions from the grass-root level to a higher level for national development (Puri, 2020), Niti Aayog launched the Aspirational District Programme (ADP) (UNDP, 2020). Subsequently, an Aspirational development programme aims to transform under-developed districts across India. The programme Centre’s around five primary themes: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure to directly impact the quality of life at different stages and integrate the socio- economic productivity of citizens. An aspirational district involves 124 (16.91 per cent) out of 733 total districts of India (Maps of India, 2021) which is the most under-developed district in phase-I & phase II across the country (MyMSME, n.d ). If we look into North Indian States/UTs excluding Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and the Haryana States having Aspirational District(s) as shown in Table 1. Table-1: Aspirational Districts in North India Region State Total Districts in State/UT Total Aspirational Districts State wise % North India Rajasthan 33 6 (Baran, Dholpur, Jaisalmer, Karauli, Sirohi and Barmer) 18.18 Uttarakhand 13 2 (Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar ) 15.38 Uttar Pradesh 75 8 (Bahrich, Balampur,Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Fatepur, Shraswasti, Shiddarthnagar andSonabhadra) 10.67 Punjab 22 2 (Ferozpur, Monga) 9.09 Jammu and Kashmir 22 2 (Baramullah, Kupwara) 9.09 Himachal Pradesh 12 1 (Chamba) 8.33 Haryana 22 1 (Nuh) 4.54 (Source data: NAS-2021 Districts Report Card, https://nas.gov.in/report-card/2021) Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 182 Table 1 depict that Rajasthan has the highest percentage of Aspirational Districts in North India. Uttarakhand is the second highest 15.38 per cent of aspirational Districts among all the North Indian. While Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana have a low percentage of Aspirational Districts(s) comparatively to Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. It can be state that including other aspirational districts in percentage of North India, districts of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh need to give more intervention programme or teaching-learning activities. Hence, these aspirational districts need more academic, administrative, financial and other related resources and outcomes based activities. Educational profile of the Aspirational Districts The schools and teachers in different management schools in Aspirational Districts of North India is presented in Table 2. This data helps to understand the actual position of schools in the mentioned aspirational districts. Table-2: Educational profile of the Aspirational Districts State/UTs Total Aspirational Districts Total No. Schools Total No. Teachers SGS TSGS GAS TGAS CGS TCGS PURS TPURS Rajasthan Baran 2123 13253 1594 8065 - - 4 79 525 5109 Dhaulpur 1816 13114 1144 7201 - - 3 46 669 5867 Jaisalmer 1626 7866 1302 5392 - - 5 122 319 2352 Karauli 2186 15462 1452 8203 - - 2 54 732 7205 Sirohi 1394 9353 999 6000 - - 3 66 392 3287 Barmer 5532 27472 4822 21075 - - 4 110 706 6287 Uttarakhand Haridwar 2047 14549 946 4045 92 911 4 145 1005 9448 Udham Singh Nagar 2129 16033 1137 4508 68 605 3 70 921 10850 Uttar Pradesh Bahrich 3765 19588 2876 12672 57 646 4 38 828 6232 Balampur 2336 10341 1850 7071 33 384 2 50 451 2836 Chandauli 2056 14920 1230 7386 81 785 3 112 742 6637 Chitrakoot 1685 8735 1295 5856 45 290 2 44 343 2545 Fatepur 3628 19047 2189 9963 142 1027 2 25 1295 8032 Shraswasti 1370 6890 1018 4248 19 239 2 24 331 2298 Shiddarth nagar 3030 14783 2297 9387 78 835 2 33 653 4525 Sonabhadra 2765 13876 2123 8075 16 210 4 100 622 5491 Punjab Ferozpur 1100 9322 841 4786 10 88 5 136 244 4312 Monga 857 9308 595 4385 12 108 1 20 249 4795 Jammu and Kashmir Baramullah 2401 14176 1975 8967 - - 3 53 423 5156 Kupwara 2177 11471 1844 7652 - - 1 3 332 3816 Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 183 State/UTs Total Aspirational Districts Total No. Schools Total No. Teachers SGS TSGS GAS TGAS CGS TCGS PURS TPURS Himachal Pradesh Chamba 1847 7880 1671 6219 - - 7 157 169 1504 Haryana Nuh 1118 6886 941 4727 - - 1 19 176 2140 Total 48988 284325 36141 165883 653 6128 67 1506 12127 110724 (Where, State Govt. Schools= SGS, TSGS= Total No. of Teachers in Schools, Govt. Aided Schools=GAS, TGAS= Total No. of Teachers in Govt. Aided Schools, Central Govt. Schools=CGS, TCGS= Total No. of Teachers in Central Govt. Schools, PURS= Private Unaided Recognized Schools and TPURS =Total No. of Teachers in Private Unaided Recognized Schools; Note: - means there is no Govt. Schools established in these districts and teachers were not appointed). (Source data: NAS-2021 Districts Report Card, https://nas.gov.in/report-card/2021 ) Table 2 shows that teachers, different management schools are available in the Aspirational Districts of North India. While less number of Government aided and Central schools available in these districts. It can be stated that teachers in these Aspirational districts contributing their educational services in State Government and Private Unaided Recognized Schools is more. In this scenario, State Government can create the integrated approach of resource sharing with other management schools. Educational Indicators for Aspirational Districts Out of all focused themes of Aspiration- al Districts, 30 per cent weightage was given to the education sector. The fol- lowing eight key indicators have been identified for the improvement of edu- cation in Aspirational Districts: y Indicator 1(a): Transition from primary to upper Primary y Indicator 1(b): Transition from upper primary to secondary y Indicator-2: percentage of schools with functional girls’ toilets y Indicator 3: Learning outcomes (Mathematics and Languages from class three to eight) y Indicator 4: Female literacy y Indicator 5: percentage of schools with functional drinking water facilities y Indicator 6: percentage of schools with functional electricity facility at secondary level y Indicator 7: percentage of elementary schools complying with Right to Education specified PTR y Indicator 8: percentage of schools providing textbooks to children Samagra Siksha Flagship Programme for Aspirational Districts The Samagra Siksha Flagship Programme aims to transform Aspirational Districts through the implementation of ICT and digital initiatives. These initiatives will specifically target students in grades six to twelve. Hence, the ability to get hardware such as tablets, laptops, notebooks, and integrated teaching learning devices, along with open source operating systems, as well as hardware, software, training, and resource support. This would encompass assistance for digital whiteboards, intelligent classrooms, virtual classes, and DTH channels, allocated proportionally based on the number of authorised schools. Projects that involve community participation will be given priority, particularly those that are eligible for schools. Therefore, the status of ICT at the secondary stage in school is presented in terms Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 184 of accessibility of digital devices in the schools, internet connectivity and adequacy of Audio-Visual resources. Literature Review Adeyemo (2010) investigated the impact of ICT on the teaching and learning of physics, revealing significantly enhances the learning experience and makes the subject more engaging for students. Byker (2014) highlighted the lack of empirical research on ICT in Indian elementary schools, which obstructs India’s efforts to provide education and prepare children with 21st-century skills. Das (2012) emphasized the critical role of understanding and leveraging ICT for social and economic progress, stressing the necessity of embedding ICT-based resources in educational systems to equip students with necessary skills. Paul and Mondal (2012) analyzed the role of ICT in enhancing the quality of school education and found that ICT can predict future educational technologies and improve education quality, provided that proper infrastructure is in place. Simin (2015) corroborated this by analyzing teachers’ perceptions of ICT integration’s effectiveness, highlighting that well-equipped ICT tools and professional development are crucial for successful technology-based teaching and learning. Agrahari and Singh (2013) focused on the impact of ICT on student achievement in chemistry, revealing the necessity of lifelong education and the importance of modern educational technologies, in meeting the growing demand for scientific knowledge. Ruiz et al. (2014) examined the influence of technologies in science teaching on gender differences and found that ICT tools improved motivation and learning scores, particularly for women. Shanmugam and Balakrishnan (2019) also highlighted the positive impact of ICT on student motivation in learning science. Aboderin and Bamisile (2021) examined ICT skills significantly enhanced students’ perceptions of the influence of ICT in science teaching and learning practices. Sharma and Sharma (2017) studied the effectiveness of ICT in science teaching and found that students enjoyed ICT in lessons and useful for teachers. Roy and Sehrawat (2018) conducted an experimental study on the effectiveness of ICT-enabled classrooms for science students and showed that students taught through video modules performed better and improving academic achievement. Mann and Mohanty (2018) examined the status of technological infrastructure and training needs for ICT among school teachers and noted that ICT use was limited, with few motivated teachers using personal ICT resources for teaching. Kumar et al. (2020) analysed the socio-economic status of people in aspirational districts for inclusive growth and revealed the need for priority interventions. Kumar et al. (2021) investigated the effectiveness of skill development training programs in aspirational districts and found that the majority of trainees perceived an improvement in their knowledge and skills. Saha (2022) studied the issues and status of teacher management in the aspirational districts and revealing it is difficult task. Finally, Igboanugo et al. (2020) studied the efficacy of ICT integration in teaching methods for effective chemistry curriculum delivery and showed that significantly enhanced curriculum delivery. Based on a literature review, ICT significantly enhances learning experiences and student engagement in science education. However, persistent barriers such as a lack of resources, training, and infrastructure hinder the effective implementation of ICT in learning science. No study has been conducted on ICT and science education in the Aspirational Districts. Therefore, this study examined the Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 185 status of ICT and science education at the secondary school stage, especially in the Aspirational Districts of North India. Operational definition y Science Education: It means, the teaching-learning of science in classroom environment to cultivate knowledge, develop scientific temper, problem solving and critical thinking and ability to solve the problems in real life. y Information and communication Technology (ICT): ICT, in the context of present study, means employing technology and related resources for teaching-learning process. y Aspirational Districts: Here, aspirational District can be defined as districts which are affected by poor socio-economic factors including education in different States/ UTs of India. Research Questions y What is the status of science education at the secondary school stage in the aspirational districts of North India? y What is the status of ICT at the secondary school stage in the aspirational districts of North India? Objectives of the Study y To examine the status of students in science at the secondary school stage in Aspirational Districts of North India. y To study the status of ICT at the secondary school stage in Aspirational Districts of North India. Delimitations y The present study comprises student data at the secondary stage from the National Achievement Survey 2021, district report card. y The present study comprises data on science education and ICT in schools at the secondary stage from the National Achievement Survey 2021, district report card. y The present study comprises district reports belonging to aspirational districts of North India as given in the National Achievement Survey 2021, district report card. y In the present study, the performance of students and learning outcomes is considered as the status of their science education. Methodology This study employs a quantitative research methodology, utilizing secondary data. Data on science education and ICT were collected from the National Achievement Survey 2021 District Report Card, prepared by NCERT, through an online visit to the National Achievement Survey Portal of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India. The researcher subsequently organized, tabulated, and statistically analyzed the secondary data using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, and averages. Status of science education at secondary school stage The status of science education at the secondary stage is categorized into the following three sections: performance levels of students in science education, performance levels of girls in science education, and learning outcomes of students in science education, presented in Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5 respectively. Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 186 Table-3: Performance of students in Science education State/UTs Aspirational Districts in North India District wise Performance in Science education (%) % of students by performance level in Science education in Aspirational Districts BB BS PR AD Rajasthan Baran 37 66 23 11 0 Dholpur 56 18 29 37 16 Jaisalmer 38 64 21 13 2 Karauli 43 46 32 20 2 Sirohi 43 49 28 20 3 Barmer 42 52 27 19 2 Uttarakhand Haridwar 34 75 17 8 1 Udham Singh Nagar 33 80 13 5 1 Uttar Pradesh Bahrich 29 90 9 1 0 Balampur 31 87 9 3 1 Chandauli 32 35 46 16 4 Chitrakoot 43 30 35 22 12 Fatepur 32 80 16 4 0 Shraswasti 31 85 13 1 0 Shiddarthnagar 33 80 15 5 0 Sonabhadra 32 84 12 4 0 Punjab Ferozpur 50 34 25 33 8 Monga 47 38 34 25 3 Jammu and Kashmir Baramullah 60 69 22 8 1 Kupwara 43 30 35 22 12 Himachal Pradesh Chamba 32 64 26 7 2 Haryana Nuh 31 74 18 8 1 Overall performance 37.36 60.45 22.95 13.27 3.22 Where BB=Below Basic level, BS= Basic level, PR= Proficiency level and AD= Advanced level (Source data: NAS-2021 Districts Report Card, https://nas.gov.in/report-card/2021) This table 3 presents the performance in science education across 22 aspirational districts of North India. Each district’s performance is broken down into four categories: Below Basic (BB), Basic (BS), Proficient (PR), and Advanced (AD). The performance in science education across various aspirational districts varies from (31 per cent to 60 per cent). In the three districts, 16 per cent of students from Dholpur, 12 per cent from Kuphwara, and 12 per cent from Chitrkoot demonstrated advanced performance in science education. Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 187 While the performance levels in the other 19 districts ranged from (1 per cent to 8 per cent). Student’s proficiency in science education varied between (22 per cent and 37 per cent) in the five aspirational districts. These were 37 per cent of students from Dholpur, 33 per cent of students from Ferozpur, 25 per cent of students from Monga, 22 per cent of students from Chitrkoot, and likely 22 per cent of students from Kuphwara. In the other 17 districts, the percentage of students performing at the proficiency level ranged from 1 per cent to 20 per cent. In the five aspirational districts, students’ basic performance levels in science education ranged from (22 per cent to 37 per cent). These were 37 per cent of students from Dholpur, 33 per cent of students from Ferozpur, 25 per cent of students from Monga, 22 per cent of students from Chitrkoot, and likely 22 per cent of students from Kuphwara. While the percentage of basic-level performance in the other 17 districts varied from 1 per cent to 20 per cent, respectively. As a result, the performance level of students in science education in the thirteen aspirational districts was below-basic (64 per cent to 90 per cent), three districts had a below-basic (46 per cent to 52 per cent), and six aspirational districts had a below-basic (18 per cent to 38 per cent). The table also show that overall performance of science education across various aspirational districts is 37.36 per cent. Furthermore, the overall performance shows that 60.45 per cent students are at the below basic level, 22.95 per cent students at the basic level, 13.27 per cent students at the proficiency level, and 3.22 per cent students at the advanced level. The analysis above indicates significant differences in students’ performance in science education, ranging from basic level to advanced levels. The percentage of students at each performance level decreased as they progressed from the basic level to the advanced level. While it should be increased from below basic level to advanced level. It means that the overall status of science education in the aspirational districts of north India is not in a good position. It may be due to student’s attitude towards science education, teaching-learning process, and resources utilisation. Chikendu & Obikezie (2020) revealed that the attitude of students significantly impacts their science education. Therefore, there is a special need to emphasise and identify the factors behind the low percentage of proficiency and the advanced level of science education. Similarly, it needs intervention in the teaching-learning process as well as resource utilisation for better performance in science education at the secondary school stage. Table-4: Performance and progress of girls in Science education State/UTs Aspirational Districts in North India District wise performance in Science education (%) % of performance and progress in Science education at secondary school stage of Girls % % Progress Indicators Rajasthan Baran 37 39 2% + Dholpur 56 57 1% + Jaisalmer 38 36 2% - Karauli 43 44 1% + Sirohi 43 46 3% + Barmer 42 44 2% + Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 188 State/UTs Aspirational Districts in North India District wise performance in Science education (%) % of performance and progress in Science education at secondary school stage of Girls % % Progress Indicators Uttarakhand Haridwar 34 33 1% - Udham Singh Nagar 33 32 1% - Uttar Pradesh Bahrich 29 28 1% - Balampur 31 29 2% - Chandauli 32 31 1% - Chitrakoot 32 31 1% - Fatepur 32 31 1% - Shraswasti 31 31 No Change = Shiddarthnagar 33 32 1% - Sonabhadra 32 31 1% - Punjab Ferozpur 50 52 2% + Monga 47 48 1% + Jammu and Kashmir Baramullah 36 35 1% = Kupwara 35 35 No Change = Himachal Pradesh Chamba 32 32 No Change = Haryana Nuh 34 35 1% + (Where, - sign = progress decrease, + sign = progress increase, and = sign =no change in progress) (Source data: NAS-2021 District Report Card, https://nas.gov.in/report-card/2021 ) The table 4 highlights the performance and progress of girls in science education at the secondary school stage across various aspirational districts in North India. Among the all aspirational districts, 3 per cent of progress in science education found in girls of one district Sirohi district of Rajasthan, 2 per cent of progress in the science education found in girls of five districts as Baran, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Balampur, and Ferozpur, and 1 per cent of progress in science education found in girls of twelve districts as Dhopur, Karauli, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Bahrich, Chandauli, Chitrkoot, Fatepur, Shiddarthnagar, Sonabhadra, Moga and Baramillah, and there were no change found in progress in the science education in girls of five districts as kupwara, chamba and sharaswasti. Based on above results, it can be interpreted that aspirational districts of North India yet more positive developments in science education for girls. The result of the study favoured by the some other studies and reveal that girls were underperforming and underrepresented in science education in developing countries worldwide Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 189 (Ullah et al, 2021; Roberts & Huges, 2022; Fussy et al., 2023). However, the absence of progress in Kupwara, Chamba, and Shrawasti signals potential areas where educational strategies may need re- evaluation and targeted interventions to foster improvement. Therefore, policies and schemes for including students from SEDGs should focus on girls by establishing a ‘Gender-Inclusion Fund’ to enhance the nation’s ability to offer equitable, quality education for all (NEP-2020). Overall, the progress percentages indicate both successful and stagnant regions, highlighting the need for policy recommendations to address the unique challenges faced by each aspirational district in girls’ science education. Table-5: Learning outcomes percentage of Science education LOs Percentage of learning outcomes in science education D 1 D 2 D 3 D 4 D 5 D 6 D 7 D 8 D 9 D 10 D 11 D 12 D 13 D 14 D 15 D 16 D 17 D 18 D 19 D 20 D 21 D 22 LO1 43 58 42 50 49 48 37 36 31 33 35 34 36 36 35 34 55 50 36 38 33 35 LO2 38 53 38 44 48 41 37 34 34 36 34 33 33 35 34 34 49 49 36 36 33 39 LO3 44 64 44 52 51 48 36 35 33 32 33 34 34 35 36 34 61 52 38 37 35 42 LO4 37 63 40 45 45 45 34 33 30 30 31 33 34 30 34 33 52 50 38 37 30 34 LO5 31 35 33 34 31 34 28 30 26 31 28 28 30 28 32 27 30 32 34 31 32 33 LO6 28 35 27 30 30 26 27 28 25 26 31 31 26 26 29 29 34 29 27 25 26 27 LO7 45 70 44 50 51 50 36 33 30 30 37 36 39 33 41 36 56 57 45 41 30 32 LO8 34 56 36 40 38 41 33 30 27 29 32 31 29 28 31 29 49 47 32 29 27 31 LO9 37 59 38 45 44 42 35 35 29 33 32 33 33 30 34 32 51 48 37 37 37 35 LO10 31 54 33 33 38 32 27 26 24 26 24 24 24 23 24 25 44 39 28 26 24 27 (Where D1= Baran, D2=Dholpur, D3=Jaisalmer, D4=Karauli, D5=Sirohi, D6=Barmer, D7=Haridwar, D8=Udham Singh Nagar, D9=Bahrich, D10=Balampur, D11=Chandauli, D12=Chitrakoot, D13= Fatepur, D14=Shraswasti, D15= Shiddarthnagar, D16= Sonabhadra, D17= Ferozpur, D18= Monga, D19= Baramullah, D20= Kupwara, D21= Chamba and D22= Nuh) and (Source data: NAS-2021 District Report Card, https://nas.gov.in/report-card/2021 ) and Learning Outcomes: LO1 to LO10 follows as LO1: Differential material, objects, organisms, phenomena and processes based on properties and characteristics. LO2: Classifies materials, objects, organisms, phenomena and processes based on properties and characteristics. LO3: Relates processes and phenomena with cause and effects. LO4: Explains processes and phenomenon. LO5: Analysis and interprets data, graphs and figures. LO6: Calculate using the data given. LO7: Uses scientific conventions to represent units of various quantities, symbols, formulae and equations. LO8: Applies learning to hypothetical situations LO9: Applies scientific concepts in daily life and solving problems LO10: Derives formulae, equations and laws Table 5 reveals that only three out of the 22 aspirational districts show more than 50 per cent to 55 per cent achievement in learning outcomes (LOs) in science Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 190 (excluding analysis and interpreting data, graphs, figures, and calculations using the data) at the secondary school level, as in Dhaulpur of Rajasthan, Ferozpur, and Monga of Punjab. In the secondary stage, the majority of students achieved less than 50 per cent success in science learning outcomes. Similarly, learning outcomes of science students are still low (Rizaki et al., 2022). Students should cultivate their scientific development, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. NEP-2020 also emphasizes the importance of cultivating a scientific mindset among learners. The current state of science does not indicate that students are achieving the expected learning outcomes, as their performance across most districts does not exceed the expected threshold of 50 per cent. Therefore, educational institutions, researchers, and other stakeholders, such as teachers, teacher educators, and administrations, need to come together on a successive path to achieving learning outcomes in science for students in the secondary school stage. Status of ICT at Secondary school stage in Aspirational Districts of North India. The following table 6 presents the sta- tus of ICT at the secondary school stage in terms of accessibility to digital devic- es, Internet connectivity, and adequacy of audio-visual resources. Table-6: ICT resources & adequacy in Aspirational districts (Source: NAS-2021 District Report Card, https://nas.gov.in/report-card/2021 ) State/UTs Aspirational Districts Students have access to digital devices in the Schools (%) Students having Internet Connectivity at Home (%) Heads of School responses for Adequacy of Audio-Visual resources (%) Rajasthan Baran 76% 50% 39% Dhaulpur 67% 49% 48% Jaisalmer 80% 62% 42% Karauli 66% 46% 39% Sirohi 87% 62% 42% Barmer 74% 56% 42% Uttarakhand Haridwar 81% 61% 38% Udham Singh Nagar 79% 62% 41% Uttar Pradesh Bahrich 70% 49% 43% Balampur 67% 44% 30% Chandauli 64% 51% 29% Chitrakoot 59% 41% 30% Fatepur 64% 48% 27% Shraswasti 72% 45% 28% Shiddarthnagar 68% 47% 30% Sonabhadra 66% 51% 31% Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 191 State/UTs Aspirational Districts Students have access to digital devices in the Schools (%) Students having Internet Connectivity at Home (%) Heads of School responses for Adequacy of Audio-Visual resources (%) Punjab Ferozpur 97% 82% 90% Monga 96% 77% 88% Jammu and Kashmir Baramullah 76% 62% 24% Kupwara 77% 60% 21% Himachal Pradesh Chamba 82% 65% 43% Haryana Nuh 69% 52% 43% Overall ICT resources 74.41% 55.54% 40.36% Table 6 depicts the ICT resources in terms of accessibility of digital resources, Internet connectivity, and adequacy of Audio-visual resources at the Secondary Schools stage in Aspirational districts of North India. In the case of Aspirational Districts of North India, 80 per cent to 97 per cent of students belonging to Jaisalmer and Sirohi of Rajasthan, Haridwar of Uttarakhand, Ferozpur, and Monga of Punjab, and Chamba of Himachal Pradesh admitted that schools have digital devices. The 60 per cent to 82 per cent of Students having Internet Connectivity at home belong to Jaisalmer, Sirohi, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Ferozpur, Monga, Baramullah, Kupwara, and Chamba districts. In the others aspirational Districts of North India, 44 per cent to 56 per cent of students admitted that they have less percentage in Internet connectivity at home belongs to Baran, Dhaulpur, Karauli, Barmer, Bahrich, Balampur, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Fatepur, Shraswasti, Shiddarthnagar, Sonabhadra and Nuh. Heads of schools of Ferojpur and Monga of Punjab showed the highest 90 per cent and 88 per cent Audio-Visual resources available in their schools at the secondary level. While Dhaulpur, Jaisalmer, Sirohi, Barmer, Udham Singh Nagar, Bahrich, Nuh, and Chamba showed 41 per cent to 48 per cent availability of Audio-visual resources, while the rest 12 Aspirational Districts Heads admitted that schools had 21 per cent to 39 per cent audio- visual resources. Furthermore, the overall ICT resources availability and adequacy shows that 74.41 per cent students have access to digital devices in the Schools, 22.95 per cent students have internet connectivity at home, 40.46 per cent heads of school admitted that adequacy of Audio-Visual resources in the respective schools. It can be stated that the status of ICT not in good position related to accessibility of digital device, particularly for internet connectivity and adequacy of audio- visual resources in all aspirational districts of North India. Similarly, Lack of ICT resources, coupled with limited internet connection and speed, has been found in the schools (Mann & Mohanty, 2018; Sahoo et al., 2022; Baruah & Mohalik, 2022). NEP-2020 states that teaching-learning should be ICT integrated at various stages of teaching-learning multidimensional subjects or discipline. Therefore, need on both ICT resources and its integration in science at secondary stage. Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 6, Issue 2, July 2024 192 Conclusion Government of India has taken positive initiatives to uplift the education status of Aspirational Districts. According to the NAS-21 district report, the status of science education among students at the secondary school stage in aspirational districts is not satisfactory. Findings indicate that approximately 30-60 per cent more intervention is required to achieve 100 per cent performance in science education for students. Furthermore, the performance of science education among girls at the secondary school stage is also not much improved. This study suggests that the available teaching-learning processes and applied resources are not student-centric. Currently, there is a need to assess the holistic development of individual learners based on their learning outcomes. Addressing this need is a major concern for various stakeholders including teachers, teacher educators, researchers, policymakers, and educational institution management. The study concludes that emphasis should be placed on an integrated approach to science education and ICT which is not presented in the Aspirational Districts of North India to achieve global standards through quality education (NEP, 2020). Therefore, educational programs developed by government organizations should incorporate science teaching-learning interventions across different phases. Initiatives in science education need to adopt an integrated pedagogical approach with ICT at both the secondary school management levels in Aspirational Districts of North India, from grassroots to leadership. Educational Implications y ICT based intervention studies can be conducted to enhance the status of science education in aspirational districts in North India and other aspirational districts. y There is a necessity for gender- focused programs and related educational initiatives in aspirational districts to ensure equitable learning opportunities in ICT and science education. y The low availability of ICT resources, particularly internet connectivity and audio-visual aids, suggests the need for substantial investment in digital infrastructure to support modern teaching and learning practices in aspirational districts. y An ICT-integrated science curriculum can be developed to enhance learning outcomes by providing students with access to interactive and engaging educational resources. y There is a need for continuous professional development programs for teachers in aspirational districts to equip them with effective pedagogical strategies and the skills to utilize ICT for science teaching. y Policymakers should prioritize the allocation of resources to the aspirational districts to ensure all students have the necessary tools and opportunities to succeed in science education. 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