Teaching computer science in rural India.

India is often mentioned as a country renowned for its mathematics and software. However, alongside its "IT capitals," this vast nation also boasts numerous rural villages where computers and the internet remain relatively unfamiliar.

Guiding female students in rural India to become familiar with computer science, the Internet, and new discoveries about computers - Photo: PHUC MINH

Therefore, the study tour in India made the students from Melbourne (Australia) even more excited because they not only got to explore a vast country but also contributed to popularizing computer literacy among rural children there.

A place where students have never even seen a mobile phone.

The first small village we visited was easily remembered as Pal. Located in the northern state of Maharashtra, it's over 500km from Mumbai, India's largest city. Life there revolves around farming and handicrafts. The first thing we saw were low-lying houses with corrugated iron roofs, gray fields, and a slow-paced lifestyle.

In the impoverished village of Pal, sending children to school is already a great effort for many families. Most students there have only "heard" about computers and mobile phones, but have never "seen or touched" these technologies that are common in urban areas.

Mr. Jason Sargent - the team leader - warned us beforehand that the school didn't have any computers, nor Wi-Fi or any other internet access. Knowing this, we proactively brought our own laptops, which already had many necessary documents, images, and software downloaded for teaching computer science.

The classroom we visited was just a small room with flimsy doors, allowing sunlight and wind to seep through the gaps. The desks, chairs, and blackboard were all made of simple wood, and the walls were adorned with funny English posters made by the students themselves.

We were assigned to secondary school classes. Each class had about 40 students, and four university students were assigned to teach each class. The students took turns lecturing for 30 minutes at a time. After teaching, they would sit down at the same table with the students to continue the discussion after class.

The students were very friendly, immediately asking our names and wanting to know where we were from as soon as we entered the classroom. Opening our laptops and introducing the basic components and functions of the screen, keyboard, and touchpad, we guided them to try drawing on the screen using Paint. The scribbles on the screen immediately excited them, leading them to explore other functions such as word processing, saving information, and images.

Upon seeing the data, many students continuously asked questions. Some pointed to the photos of skyscrapers, roads, and harbors, curiously asking where they were and what they were for. They immediately asked about animals, nature, typical foods, races, and religions of Australia when viewing the images we projected on the screen. The stories weren't just about computers; they also included kangaroos, koalas, and the Sydney Tower, causing the new students to nod and laugh heartily.

The class became more relaxed when we pulled out our mobile phones and started talking about their functions, showing the students how to use them. Initially, the students were quite hesitant, holding the phones with both hands for fear of dropping them or pressing the wrong buttons. But soon they became confident and enthusiastic when shown how to play the games available on the phones.

Explore technology with curiosity.

Students in a rural Indian village explore computers and technology out of curiosity, guided by students from Australia - Photo: PHUC MINH

From the village of Pal, inspiration spread to other remote villages such as Khiroda, Jamnya, and Mohamandali – the next destinations on the journey.

The schools in those villages also had similarly limited material resources. But as soon as you set foot in the school, the image of students lining up neatly, hands clasped in front of their chests, bowing their heads in the solemn "namaste" ritual, is something everyone will remember forever.

The students were also greeted by their teachers and villagers who draped garlands of local flowers around each of their necks to welcome us.

The computer class still takes place in simple conditions, but the students' enthusiasm and learning spirit never diminish, further proving that the desire to access knowledge is not limited by geography or circumstances.

Here, most students speak Marathi and can communicate in English, although their expressive abilities are limited. This is partly due to differences in learning environments and access to education . What impressed us most was how quickly they learned through experience.

No explanation was needed; simply watching the person next to them play first was enough for the others to understand. Some, after finishing their game, would hand their phone to another friend and then teach them how to use it, just as they had learned. In that moment, technology was no longer something unfamiliar or difficult to access, but rather a shared joy, where curiosity and laughter guided the learning process.

After class, we would often give our classmates some candy along with a few school supplies and books that each of us had brought as gifts. The students received the gifts with both hands, beaming with smiles and never forgetting to thank us. These simple moments left a deeper impression than any lecture.

During that journey, the place that left the most lasting impression was probably Jamnya village. Besides our studies, we were immersed in the vibrant and lively atmosphere of a traditional festival, rich in cultural identity. In the middle of the village square, music filled the air, and the villagers gathered to invite us to dance to the traditional Karakattam, an experience that was both novel and familiar, bridging the gap between guests and hosts.

Realizing that the crowd of children was growing larger, we decided to take a trip back to our childhood with a simple but laughter-filled game of football. We played with the ball in the field, and in that moment, all barriers of age, language, geography, or nationality disappeared.

Practical school

Despite the language barrier, wherever we went in India, we were greeted and chatted with warmly by everyone. Most of the students here are slender, with dark skin but bright faces. They wear pink shirts as uniforms and always sit neatly, attentively listening to the lectures. It suddenly occurred to me that in such difficult circumstances, if each student strives to excel in their studies, their families and their country will always have a chance to escape poverty and backwardness.

Thinking this, I silently thanked this trip and hoped even more Vietnamese students, both domestically and internationally, would participate in trips to remote areas. This would contribute to sharing literacy, knowledge, and skills with rural children, while each individual would also learn valuable lessons from practical experience through each "study tour" to the countryside.

This trip to teach computer science in a rural Indian village was not just a story about technology, but also a story about people and education. The journey gave us the belief that, whether in India or Vietnam, the desire for learning among rural children is always present, just waiting for an opportunity to be realized.

Experience sharing with the community.

For me personally, the trip gave me much to think about. The images of the students in these villages reminded me of the familiar image of students in rural Vietnam—always polite, studious, and eager to learn new things. What made me think the most was the way they studied carefully and with such respect.

Every keystroke or mouse cursor movement is performed with intense concentration, as if not wanting to miss a single moment. The difference between rural Vietnamese and Indian students lies in their access to technology. Vietnamese students, even in rural areas, are familiar with the internet and smart devices, while for many rural students in India, technology remains new and unfamiliar.

Another deeply memorable experience was the sense of responsibility shown by each student participating in the trip. Across different disciplines, no one viewed this teaching experience as a mere pastime; instead, they all prepared meticulously, patiently guided each student, and were willing to repeat instructions multiple times until the students fully understood. Under those simple tin-roofed classrooms, we not only taught computer science but also learned how to listen, share, and work responsibly with the community.

PHUC MINH (Journalism student at Swinburne University, Australia)

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/day-tin-hoc-o-lang-que-an-do-20260225095729551.htm