Whither Haversine, and Whither Orthodromic? Inclusivity in Geographical Information Systems Education- Lessons from India

Research studies show that educators and students who apply spatial thinking to real-world issues through the geographical information systems (GIS) are efficient spatial thinkers. Some of these studies consider GIS as one of the twenty five most important technologies that impacted, and continue to positively impact societies in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The purpose of the present study is to present an analysis of GIS education in Indian school practice through the research questions: What is the content of the GIS and the Geography subjects taught in the senior secondary schools in India? Is the content adequate to generate inquisitiveness, curiosity, and interest about the subject among the GIS learners in the higher secondary schools? What appropriate management practices should be undertaken by the Government to address gaps identified in this study? This study adopts an exploratory case approach to address the research questions. The study finds that GIS pedagogy is still at a nascent stage in terms of the overall curriculum at the secondary school level. Some standardization in the core Geography curriculum in the Secondary Education is evident. But the role of GIS is limited in pedagogy due to the complexity and cost of GIS software, and lack of trained faculty.