A Study of the Role of ICT in the Career Advancement of B.Ed Teachers in Rural West Bengal

Abstract

In addition, in the post-COVID situation, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has gained importance in transforming the world of education in India, especially in rural areas with limited access to other professional development opportunities. This paper has been developed to reveal the participation of ICT in the career development of qualified teachers of B.Ed in rural West Bengal, where the infrastructural condition may be witnessed to involve digital divide and socio-economic conditional gap. Using a mixed methods approach, the research evaluates the effects of ICT integration on teachers' professional informacy, training and networking opportunities and career development. Data were collected from 150 teachers in five rural districts in West Bengal, through personal observation, semi-structured interviews and performance characteristics of 150 B.Ed teachers, through data sheets and questionnaires. The results show that although ICT presents high scope for skills and career development (e.g. by taking online qualifications, virtual work), orders of adoption are low; while inadequate Internet connection (72valence of respondents), training (65% citing lacking training) and lack of resources (42%) stand as the notable explanatory factors. Teachers who were actively using ICT reported a 35% improvement in complexity during instruction and an improvement in chances of being promoted or leading. However, systemic factors compounding disconnects: female teachers and people in remote villages face bigger obstacles. The study suggests first a policy intervention ordered on the development of infrastructure, second on specific ICT training programs, and third on a pedagogical approach of digital inclusion to really use ICT for teacher career development in the rural area. This study forms the bridge between technological innovation and rural educational equity, which can add to the evidence support teacher development in the marginalized areas.