Kerala govt launches programme to boost digital learning in primary schools

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major push to bridge the digital divide and integrate technology into foundational education, KITE, the technology wing of the state's General Education Department, has launched 'Digital Square', officials said on Sunday. It aims to transform digital learning in lower primary and upper primary schools across Kerala.

The programme seeks to strengthen digital literacy among young learners by integrating technology into classroom learning and promoting an inclusive digital learning environment.

General Education Minister N Samsudheen inaugurated the programme and a statewide orientation workshop for school heads in Malappuram, connecting more than 4,000 headmasters and headmistresses from all 14 districts through an interactive video conference.

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Kerala seeks to push gamified learning, digital literacy

According to a statement issued by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, the initiative is part of the state government's 100-day action plan and seeks to promote gamified learning, digital literacy, self-learning and creativity among young students .

The programme is designed to create an inclusive digital learning environment using Free and Open Source Software equipped with accessibility features , including audio assistance for visually impaired students and high-contrast user interfaces for Children with Special Needs, it said.

"Under the scheme, government and aided primary schools with the required hardware infrastructure will be provided a dedicated software environment featuring a range of educational and creative applications," the statement said.

The software package features the GCompris edutainment suite, language-learning tools such as e-Cube, and applications for music, digital painting and animation.

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Digital Square programme in Kerala's upper, lower primary schools

It introduces students to the concepts of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics from the primary level, officials said. KITE CEO K Anvar Sadath said the organisation had developed a dedicated FOSS-based edutainment package tailored specifically for the Digital Square ecosystem.

"The package ensures equal access to high-quality digital learning tools without commercial lock-in, while also providing built-in filtering mechanisms and digital safeguards for young learners," he said.

The minister released the official guidelines and operational framework for implementing the Digital Square programme across schools. The event marked the launch of several other initiatives under the government's 100-day action plan for the education sector, according to KITE.

Among them is the 'Cyber Safety Protocol 2026', which mandates the formation of school-level cyber safety committees to protect students from AI-driven risks and other digital threats. Another initiative, 'Tharapadham', is a digital academic monitoring platform designed to track learning outcomes and attendance, and facilitate remedial mentoring, the statement said.

The government also launched the 'School Wiki-thon' campaign to strengthen local knowledge repositories. It announced plans to expand 'Little KITEs' IT clubs to upper primary schools to help students develop technology skills from an early age, the statement added.