BLENDED LEARNING IN INDIA: EXAMINING ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 remarks on technology’s ability to reshape the landscape of Indian education. Over the next two decades, the policy aims to integrate technology with education to create an education system that is fit for the “digital citizens” of tomorrow(Ministry of Education, 2020). Blended Learning, an integration of face-to-face learning with virtual education (Hrastinski, 2019), is an important step to bring this vision to life. This book chapter explores the advantages and disadvantages associated with the adoption of blended learning in an Indian context. Various academic sources like journal articles and reports have been synthesized to compile this chapter. Key advantages to blended learning such as improved learner engagement, wider accessibility to education, learner flexibility and reduced costs are highlighted in the chapter (Qamar et al., 2024). However, several challenges hinder its widespread adoption in the country. The digital divide which limits access to technology in rural India poses a huge challenge (Kundu, 2018). Additionally, financial constraints limit the country’s capacity to improve digital infrastructure.