Lok Sabha Question No. 2134 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-02
Subject: Effects of Digital Education
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Hibi Eden

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2134 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02 ND  AUGUST, 2021

## Effects of Digital Education

## 2134. SHRI HIBI EDEN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has observed a large digital divide in our schools and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether any study has been conducted to assess the advantages and disadvantages of online learning /education and if so, the details thereof and if not, the details  regarding  the  sources  from  which  the  Ministry  obtains  feedback  of  online classes; (c)  whether  the  Government  has  any  data  which  shows  the  total  number  of  school students, along with the students equipped with instruments for online classes and the number of school students who are not equipped for online classes; and (d) whether the Government has formulated any action plan to control and minimise the adverse effects of digital divide and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) and (b) Keeping  in  view  the  availability  of  digital  infrastructure  PRAGYATA Guidelines  on  Digital  Education  have  been  issued.  The  guidelines  brief  on  various modes of digital education including online mode that depends more on availability of internet,  partially  online  mode  that  utilizes  the  blended  approach  of  digital  technology and other offline activities, and offline mode that utilizes television and radio as a major medium of instruction of education. These guidelines provide a roadmap or pointers for carrying  forward  enhanced  quality  online  education.  The  guidelines  are  useful  for  a diverse set of stakeholders including school heads, teachers, parents, teacher educators  and  students.  It  also  outlines  the  support  to  be  provided  to  students  with special needs. Main emphasis is on balanced online and offline activities keeping the screen time as an essential parameter according to the level of students.

The guidelines can be accessed at:

https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload\_files/mhrd/files/pragyata-guidelines\_0.pdf

(c) The state-wise data on number of schools having internet facility is placed at Annexure-A.

(d) Learning  programmes  have  also  been  started  in  the  form  of  offline  learning tools  in  the  form  of  radio,  community  radio  and  CBSE  podcasts,   toll  free  numbers, missed  call,  SMS  based  requests  for  audio  content,  localized  radio  content  for edutainment etc. The medium of TV, radio has been used for the students who do not have digital means.

In  order  to  enable  online  education  benefit  to  the  children  of  every  category  and teachers,  Learning  Enhancement  Guidelines  have  been  issued.  These  have  been prepared on the basis of the recommendations and reports of States/UTs which are as following:

- Learning enhancement during COVID-19 for students without digital devices.
- Learning enhancement during COVID-19 for students with limited access to digital devices.
- Learning enhancement during COVID-19 for students with digital devices.

https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/announcement/Learning\_%20Enhancement\_Guidelines.pdf

NCERT  has  also  developed  an  Alternative  Academic  Calendar  for  all  the  stages  of school education. In this calendar the themes/topics have been selected from syllabus and  are  linked  with  the  learning  outcomes.  Guidelines  have  been  developed  for conducting interesting activities based on these learning outcomes.

**********

## ANNEXURE-A

ANNEXURE REFERRRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (C) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2134 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2021 ASKED BY SHRI HIBI EDEN, HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING 'EFFECTS OF DIGITAL EDUCATION'

| Number of Schools with Internet Facility   | Number of Schools with Internet Facility   |
|--------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| State/UT                                   | Government                                 |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands                  | 68                                         |
| Andhra Pradesh                             | 4104                                       |
| Arunachal Pradesh                          | 105                                        |
| Assam                                      | 2037                                       |
| Bihar                                      | 1492                                       |
| Chandigarh                                 | 121                                        |
| Chhattisgarh                               | 1627                                       |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli                       | 44                                         |
| Daman & Diu                                | 77                                         |
| Delhi                                      | 2440                                       |
| Goa                                        | 70                                         |
| Gujarat                                    | 23434                                      |
| Haryana                                    | 2879                                       |
| Himachal Pradesh                           | 2153                                       |
| Jammu & Kashmir                            | 1201                                       |
| Jharkhand                                  | 10891                                      |
| Karnataka                                  | 3862                                       |
| Kerala                                     | 4393                                       |
| Ladakh                                     | 17                                         |
| Lakshadweep                                | 42                                         |
| Madhya Pradesh                             | 3792                                       |
| Maharashtra                                | 7149                                       |
| Manipur                                    | 68                                         |
| Meghalaya                                  | 99                                         |
| Mizoram                                    | 60                                         |
| Nagaland                                   | 61                                         |
| Odisha                                     | 1450                                       |
| Puducherry                                 | 180                                        |
| Punjab                                     | 6830                                       |
| Rajasthan                                  | 16332                                      |
| Sikkim                                     | 112                                        |
| Tamilnadu                                  | 6746                                       |
| Telangana                                  | 2408                                       |
| Tripura                                    | 69                                         |
| Uttar Pradesh                              | 4042                                       |
| Uttarakhand                                | 1071                                       |
| West Bengal                                | 8055                                       |
| India                                      | 119581                                     |