Centre takes digital route to impart education with PM e-Vidya initiative; one channel for every class

The Centre on Sunday unveiled the PM-eVidya initiative, a digital route to impart education in times of COVID-19 with plans to launch dedicated television channels – one each for Classes 1 to 12.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, announcing the fifth tranche of measures to re-start the COVID-stalled economy, also announced extensive use of radio, community radio, podcasts and e-content for the visually and hearing impaired.

A key segment of the PM-eVidya initiative is ‘one class one channel’ for conduct of classes through direct-to-home channels which will be available on DTH platforms.

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“The government has launched Swayam Prabha DTH channels to support and reach those who do not have access to the internet, now 12 more channels will be added,” Sitharaman told reporters here.

Provisions were also being made for telecast of live interactive sessions on these channels with experts from home through Skype, she said.

The Department of School Education and Literacy has asked NCERT officials to keep class-wise and subject-wise content ready for classes 1 to 12 for at least a week.

Besides, the top 100 universities on National Institutional Ranking Framework have been automatically allowed to start online courses from May 30.

The initiative is part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12 to deal with the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The finance minister said that the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform will be used extensively for school education in states and union territories.

The DIKSHA platform offers teachers, students and parents learning material relevant to the prescribed school curriculum. Students can download the DIKSHA app and scan the textbook QR code for easy access to the school lessons.

Sitharaman said that the government will launch a new National Curriculum and Pedagogical framework. This will be for school, early childhood and teachers and integrated with the current skill requirements.

Amid concerns over the rise in stress among students, Sitharaman said the government was launching a new initiative to promote mental health.

Called Manodarpan, this initiative will offer psycho-social support to students, teachers and families for mental health and emotional well-being, she said.