Gurumurthy Kasinathan

Hi, I am Guru from IT4Change. For a long time, we’ve been told that the market has the answer to all our needs, championing capitalism where greed is seen as good, compassion as weakness, and survival as a privilege of the fittest. The effects of this ideology are evident in continuous global conflicts and a growing disparity marked by a stark lack of compassion. Even the digital realm has not only thrived under this ideology but has also perpetuated it. There’s a prevailing belief that only the private, for-profit sector can develop and supply technology, including in areas traditionally public, such as education. For example, in India, we’ve seen a state government engage a big tech vendor to directly supply educational content to schools, effectively bypassing the teachers.

At IT4Change, through our research and projects, we challenge these narratives. We critique how private tech solutions in education, like Byju’s, can lead to rote, meaningless learning experiences that deepen educational inequalities—where only the affluent receive quality education while the marginalized are left behind. We argue that a society where education is not accessible to all is doomed to fail. Our mission is to reclaim public education by also reclaiming public technology. We advocate for technology to empower teachers and to support learning communities involving teachers, students, and parents. We aim to establish platform.coopersystem.com.breratives within these communities, not just to enhance educational outcomes but also to foster a society that is just, humane, and equitable.