ICT Skilling & Digital Literacy
Many times, computers reach government schools, but they remain unused. Locked away. Covered in plastic. Not from lack of interest, but from lack of guidance. At ILP, the focus is on making technology usable. Students build broad, practical digital skills, learning to feel comfortable with computers, explore new tools through self-learning modules, and develop the confidence to figure things out on their own. By training both teachers and students, ILP ensures technology is understood, used, and trusted — turning computers into part of everyday learning. Screens come alive. Classrooms grow more confident. And students begin working with the same digital skills as their peers elsewhere.
Access alone isn’t enough. Knowing how to use it truly levels the field.
The Government of India has invested in providing computer labs to thousands of government schools through programmes like TALP (Technology Assisted Learning Programme). Yet in many schools, these labs sit underused — teachers aren’t trained to integrate them into lessons, students get limited time with no structured curriculum, and the computers become just another piece of unused infrastructure. Meanwhile, students in private schools are learning coding, digital design, and office tools as part of their regular education. The digital divide isn’t just about who has a computer — it’s about who knows how to use one to learn, create, and grow.
26 open-source tools, mapped to the curriculum, taught through self-learning modules
ILP’s ICT programme doesn’t just teach students how to type or browse. It builds genuine digital confidence through a structured curriculum of 26 open-source software tools — each mapped to NCERT subjects across Math, Science, and Social Science. Students learn to use GeoGebra for geometry proofs, PhET simulations for physics experiments, Kalzium for the periodic table, KStars and Stellarium for astronomy, LibreOffice for documents and presentations, GIMP for image editing, Audacity for audio, and OpenShot for video editing. Every tool comes with self-learning video modules so students can explore at their own pace.
The programme is mapped to the NSQF (National Skills Qualifications Framework) and runs as student-led, self-paced digital learning. ILP facilitators work alongside teachers in a co-teaching model — they don’t replace the teacher, they amplify what the teacher can do with technology.
Subject-linked digital tools
Every tool maps to specific NCERT chapters. Students don’t just “use a computer” — they use PhET to simulate pH scales for Chemistry, GeoGebra to prove geometry theorems, and KGeography to explore world maps. The tools bring textbook concepts alive.
Self-learning video modules
Each tool comes with 1–10 short self-learning videos. Students watch, explore, and practice at their own pace. Assessment QR codes at the end of each module help teachers track understanding. Two video versions available — shorter and longer — for different learning speeds.
Open-source & free forever
All 26 tools are free, open-source software that runs on the Linux systems typically found in government school computer labs. No licensing costs, no vendor dependency, no internet required for most tools. Schools can use them indefinitely.
Co-teaching model
ILP facilitators work alongside the school’s computer teacher — not replacing them. The facilitator introduces tools, helps troubleshoot, and gradually transfers confidence to the teacher to run sessions independently.
26 tools across 7 categories
Kalzium · PhET Simulations · KStars · Stellarium
GeoGebra · KBruch · GCompris · eduActiv8 · Tux Math · JFractionLab · KMPlot · Tangrams
KGeography · GCompris maps
LibreOffice Writer · Calc · Impress
GIMP · Inkscape · My Paint · Tux Paint
Audacity · OpenShot · Kazam · Rhythm Box · VLC
Kanagram · KHangman · Freeplane · Chromium
From unused lab to digital confidence
Here’s how ILP transforms a computer lab from locked cupboards into active learning.
Lab setup & software installation
ILP’s technical team assesses the existing computer lab, installs all 26 open-source tools on each machine, loads self-learning video modules, and ensures everything works offline. Where labs don’t exist, ILP partners with CSR funders to set up labs from scratch.
Facilitator placement & teacher training
An ILP-trained Digital Literacy Facilitator is placed at the school to co-teach ICT sessions. Teachers receive orientation on how the 26 tools map to their subjects — so the Math teacher knows GeoGebra can demonstrate her geometry lesson, and the Science teacher knows PhET can simulate the physics experiment she’s been drawing on the board.
Structured weekly ICT sessions
Students attend scheduled ICT periods where they work through self-learning modules, explore subject-linked tools, and complete hands-on projects — creating presentations in Impress, editing photos in GIMP, building mind maps in Freeplane, solving geometry in GeoGebra, or exploring astronomy in Stellarium. Learning is self-paced with facilitator support.
Assessment & teacher handover
Each tool module ends with QR-code-linked assessment questions. ILP tracks student progress and tool usage. Over time, the facilitator transfers skills and confidence to the school’s computer teacher, so the school can run ICT sessions independently. The goal is sustainability — not permanent ILP presence.
Bridging the digital divide from the classroom
Cumulative impact of ILP’s ICT programme
ICT programmes
in the curriculum
digital skills
The best way to spark kids’ curiosity with technology is to first empower the educators guiding them. With creative coding and AI, we can now design fun, interactive experiences that help government school children explore digital skills, solve problems, and think creatively — turning ICT into something engaging and meaningful rather than just another subject.
Strengthening government ICT infrastructure, not replacing it
ILP’s ICT programme works within the government’s existing technology infrastructure — the TALP labs already in schools, the NSQF framework for skill standards. Through partnerships with HCL Foundation (5 ICT labs launched across government schools in Tamil Nadu), and the TN SPARK programme (AI, robotics, coding, and IoT reaching 340 schools and 67,000 students in collaboration with Namma School Namma Ooru Palli and the Department of School Education), ILP is proving that government school students can learn the same digital skills as their peers in private schools — when they have the right tools, training, and support.
Gallery
[Photo gallery — students in ICT labs, Scratch programming, science simulations]
Turn a locked computer lab into a digital learning space
Your support trains a facilitator, installs 26 tools, and brings digital literacy to hundreds of students