Lok Sabha Question No. 115 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-11-29
Subject: Non-Availability of Digital Infrastructure
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Vincent H Pala

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 115

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 th  NOVEMBER, 2021

## Non-Availability of Digital Infrastructure

115. SHRI VINCENT H. PALA:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  data  on  the  number  of  school-going  children  deprived  of  digital  infrastructure owing to the COVID-19 pandemic before re-opening of schools, State-wise;
- (b) the data on school dropouts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, State-wise; and
- (c) whether the Government has initiated any study on the long-term impacts of the loss of in-person teaching on the learning outcomes and if so, the details there of ?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) School Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. The percentage of children  in  Kendriya  Vidyalaya  having  access  to  digital  devices  is  98%  and  with Navodaya Vidyalaya is 93%. A comprehensive initiative called PM eVIDYA has  been initiated as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan on 17th May, 2020, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable  multi-mode  access to education. The initiative includes:
- DIKSHA (one nation, one digital platform) is  the  nation's  digital  infrastructure  for providing  quality  e-content  for  school  education  in  states/UTs  and  QR  coded Energized Textbooks for all grades are available on it.
- One earmarked Swayam Prabha TV channel per class from 1 to 12 (one class, one channel).
- Extensive use of Radio, Community radio and CBSE Podcast- Shiksha Vani.
- Special e-content for visually and  hearing  impaired developed  on  Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website/ YouTube.

All  these  schemes/programmes  are  available  to  all  the  students  across  the nation.

- (b) The State/UT wise data regarding annual average dropout is available at  serial No. 17 (Id 4017) with sub-heading enrollment of the UDISE++ link mentioned below:

https://dashboard.udiseplus.gov.in/#/reportDashboard/sReport

(c) The Government of India has been implementing a rolling programme of sample based National  Achievement  Survey  (NAS)  aimed  at  classes  III,  V,  VIII  and  X  under Samagra Shiksha since 2001 with a cycle period of three years.

NAS  2021  has  been  held  on  12.11.2021  and  has  covered  (a)  Government Schools (Central Government and State Government); (b) Government Aided Schools; and (c) Private Unaided Schools.

The  objective  of  NAS  2021  is  to  evaluate  children's  progress  and  learning competencies as an indicator of the health of the education system. National, State/UT and District Report cards are released to enable analysis of results and remedial action at the appropriate levels. Also, Covid initiative report has been placed at the website of Education Ministry at the given link:

https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/covid\_initiatives.pdf

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