Coronavirus Lockdown: Karnataka govt resolves to continue with online education

Contrary to the growing discomfort towards online method of education among the teaching fraternity, the state government on Tuesday resolved to continue with the same system as a new normal in the field of higher education. Holding the review of the Higher Education department, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa expressed interest in providing online education to students in higher educational institutes.

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Chief Minister Yediyurappa directed the officials to look into the possibilities of extending online education from as early as Pre-University level so that the new method can easily be followed as they scale up the academic career. Keeping in mind the less expenditure and online teaching being cost-effective, Yediyurappa said, “If you compare online teaching with the regular classroom teaching, it is not only cost-effective but also helps in savings in terms of resources. Officials must look into the new method and start introducing it as early as PU classes.”

Currently, the Higher Education Department has been conducting online classes for both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses due to nationwide lockdown against COVID-19. Interestingly, the lecturers have already completed about 79 percent of the syllabus and the remaining 21 percent is expected to be completed by May 31.

“The online classes are being conducted using Skype, WebEx and other online platforms. Till date about 30,000 online classes have been conducted and has reached about 85 percent of the students through Whatsapp, YouTube channel of the department,” explained Higher Education minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan.