Lok Sabha Question No. 2516 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-13
Subject: Online Education in Backward Areas
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Veena Devi, Rama Devi, Ramapati Ram Tripathi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2516 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2021

## Online Education in Backward Areas

†2516. SHRIMATI VEENA DEVI:

SHRIMATI RAMA DEVI:

DR. RAMAPATI RAM TRIPATHI:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  the effects on the standard of education of students in the country particularly those residing in the rural areas as a result of Covid-19 pandemic;
- (b)  the schemes of the Government to mitigate these effects;

(c)  whether the Government has launched any scheme/project for the establishment of educational institutions providing online education in the educationally backward districts of the country; and (d)  if so, the details thereof and the funds earmarked for this purpose ?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (d): Covid-19 was an unprecedented crisis across the world and has affected all the countries. The pandemic has led to severe disruption in normal life, including closure of schools.

Education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the  domain  of  respective  State  and  UT  Governments.  However,  in  order  to  ensure  that  every student including those residing in rural and educationally backward districts of the country, gets continued  access  to  education,  a  multi-pronged  approach  has  been  adopted.  A  comprehensive initiative called PM e-VIDYA has been initiated as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan on 17 th 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.  35  of  the  36  states  and  UTs  have  on  boarded  on  DIKSHA platform and contextualised the content as per the local need.
- One  earmarked  Swayam  Prabha  TV  channel  per  class  from  Class  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.

Further, an Alternate Academic Calendar has been prepared for providing learning solutions for grade 1 to 12 and 'Students' Learning Enhancement Guidelines' prepared by NCERT suggest models for the following three types of scenarios to ensure that no child is deprived of reach of education:

- a) Learning Enhancement during COVID-19 for students without digital devices;
- b) Learning Enhancement during COVID-19 for students with limited accessibility to digital devices &
- c) Learning Enhancement during COVID-19 for students with digital devices.

Also,  PRAGYATA  guidelines  issued  to  States/UTs  to  facilitate  continued  education through various modes. The guidelines inter-alia includes situations where internet connectivity is not  available  or  available  with  very  less  bandwidth  where  resources  are  shared  through  various platforms like television, radio etc that do not depend on internet.

Besides,  the Ministry  has  undertaken  a proactive initiative,  named,  'MANODARPAN' covering  a  wide range of  activities  to  provide  psychosocial  support  to  students,  teachers  and families for Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing during the COVID outbreak and beyond.

The Ministry had conducted a survey in the month of July, 2020 with the help of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to understand the scenario of Online Learning of school students in COVID-19 pandemic situation. The details of the survey and findings are given in Chapter - 3 of the Learning Enhancement guidelines, which may be accessed at the following links:

1.  https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload\_files/mhrd/files/Learning\_Enhancement\_0.pdf
2.  https://seshagun.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/Learning\_Enhancement.pdf
3.  https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/announcement/Learning\_%20Enhancement\_Guidelines.pdf

National Achievement Survey (NAS) is conducted to enable States/UTs to identify gaps in learning outcomes, and take remedial steps. NAS 2021 has been conducted on 12 th  November 2021.

The  Central  Government  is  constantly  advising  States/UTs  through  guidelines  and meetings  with  respect  to  interventions  for  reducing  impact  of  pandemic  on  education.  The guidelines issued so far are given below:

|   Sl. | Intervention                                                             | Links of Guideline                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|-------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|     1 | Guidelines for Children of Migrant Labourers                             | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Migrant%2 0labour%20guideline.pdf                                                                                                                                                       |
|     2 | Guidelines for Out of School Children and Mitigation of Loss of Learning | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/guidelines_ oosc.pdf                                                                                                                                                                    |
|     3 | PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital Education                                 | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/pragyata- guidelines_0.pdf                                                                                                                                                              |
|     4 | Learning Enhancement Guidelines for Continuous Learning                  | https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/announcement/Learning_%20Enhancement_Gu idelines.pdf                                                                                                                                                                      |
|     5 | Covid-19 Related Health and Safety Sop/Guidelines for School Re-Opening  | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/SOP_Guid elines_for_reopening_schools.pdf                                                                                                                                               |
|     6 | Covid Action Plan for School Education                                   | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Covid_Act ion_Plan.pdf                                                                                                                                                                  |
|     7 | Alternate Academic Calendar                                              | Secondary- https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Academic %20Calender%20-%20Secondary%20-%20Eng.pdf Primary- - https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Eight_Wee ks_AAC_Primary_%28English%29%5B1%5D_0.pdf |
|     8 | Guidelines for JNV - Residential Schools                                 | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LAc4iKQTqTJkNVDGc5glEDsrD GdAXwC8/view                                                                                                                                                                            |
|     9 | Guidelines for parents on Home Based Education                           | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/MoE_H ome_Learning_Guidelines.pdf                                                                                                                                                       |
|    10 | Guidelines for orphaned Children                                         | In this regard, a joint DO letter No. 13-10/2021-IS-11 dated 16.06.2021 from Secretary DoSEL, MoE and Secretary, MWCD has been issued to all States and UTs.                                                                                       |
|    11 | Guidelines for developing E-content for CWSN                             | https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/CWSN_E- Content_guidelines.pdf                                                                                                                                                          |
|    12 | CBSE competency-based assessment framework                               | http://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/Manuals/Safal_handbook.pdf                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|    13 | NCTE Guidelines for TEIs                                                 | https://ncte.gov.in/WebAdminFiles/RecentAnnouncement/0_20_08_2 020_637335320672297662.pdf                                                                                                                                                          |

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