Our Resource Persons
Prof. Rajaram S. Sharma
Prof. Rajaram S. Sharma has a Masters degree in Science Education (MScEd Chemistry), a
Masters in Education (MEd) and a PhD in Education.
In a career in Education, spanning over three decades, he has been a teacher, teacher educator,
trainer and researcher. He has explored active methods of learning, helping children become
independent learners, enhancing teachers competency and capacity for innovation, and helping
school systems explore appropriate ICT to reach out and bridge divides.
In his association with NCERT (1996-2016), he led initiatives in exploring appropriate applications
of ICT in education, including radio and television, audio and video, web and interactive
multimedia applications. He was closely associated with the development and implementation of
the National Policy of ICT in School Education, which guided the states, particularly those who
sought funding from the Central Government under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abiyan for
ICT infrastructure and training. He also designed and guided the development of a National
Repository of Open Education Resources (http://nroer.gov.in), and an ICT in Education curriculum.
His other initiatives in Educational Technology include the roll out of ePathshala, a web and mobile
interface which provides access to digital versions of textbooks and the Swayam MOOC initiative
which provides access to online courses in School Education.
He retired as the Joint Director of the Central Institute of Educational Technology, NCERT in 2016.
Since then he is associated with schools as an independent consultant. He helps organise academic
audits, diagnosis of school processes, design and development of professional development
programmes. His primary interest is in helping schools and teachers improve overall school
processes and teaching-learning through data analysis and interpretation. He is also designing and
authoring online courses for teachers and school heads.
He is presently a member of an international expert committee to advise the World Bank in the
review of Educational Technologies appropriate to the school system. This committee will be
evaluating and recommending a select set of EdTech solutions for schools.
He was invited by the State Government of Karnataka to chair a Committee to develop a Position
Paper on Educational Technology as a part of the roll out of the New Education Policy, 2020. He
also chairs an advisory Committee, since 2022 to help the schools under the Karnataka Residential
Education Institutions Society, Government of Karnataka which assists the KREIS to roll our an
Information and Communication Technology curriculum across its schools.
He has authored various articles and presentations on issues relating to Children, Teachers and
Schools in general and the use of Educational Technology in particular. He has authored a
Landscape Report on Educational Technology in Schools (2022) for ITfC, Bengaluru.
He is an avid birder and his photographs and documentation have formed the basis for a series of
books for children available online at http://vidyaonline.net as well as print publications, published
by Navakarnataka Publications, Bengaluru.
Dr. Monica Nagpal
Dr. Monica Nagpal is an M.A., M.Ed. and also holds a Ph.D. in Education. She is a
Freelancer – Educational Technology Expert.
Dr. Monica Nagpal is an accomplished education professional with extensive experience in
educational technology, media, and teacher education. She is currently serving as a Visiting
Assistant Professor at the School of Education and Research, MIT-ADT University, Pune.
Previously, she was associated with CIET–NCERT as a Senior Academic Consultant and
Assistant Professor for over five years, contributing to numerous national-level educational
technology initiatives.
She has also worked with the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA)
as a Project Associate and Consultant, where she supported projects focused on open
educational resources and media-based learning.
With more than four years of experience in the media as an Assistant Director for various
television programmes and films, Dr. Nagpal brings a rich blend of academic insight and
practical media expertise to her work in educational technology and innovation.
