Lok Sabha Question No. 5233 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-04
Subject: Learning Gaps
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari, Midhun Reddy

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5233 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.04.2022

## Learning Gaps

5233.  SHRI N. REDDEPPA:

SHRI P.V. MIDHUN REDDY:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  the  details  of  reserved  Lok  Sabha  seats  and  50,000  Panchayats  on  which  the Government  is  focusing  on  series  of  remedial  measures  of  learning  gaps  due  to pandemic; (b)  whether  inter-Ministerial  consultations  have  been  held  in  this  regard  to  chalk  out  a programme to mitigate learning loss at school level; (c)   if so, the details thereof; (d)  whether there are  any  plans  to  provide  digital  devices  to  socially  and  economically

- disadvantaged children; and
- (e)  if so, the details thereof?

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

(a) to (e): Ministry of Education has taken several measures to minimise learning gaps due to pandemic in all parts of the country. A comprehensive initiative called PM eVIDYA has been  taken  which  unifies  all  efforts  related  to  digital/online/on-air  education  to  enable multi-mode access to education. The initiative includes the following components:

-  DIKSHA the nation's digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content for school education  in  states/UTs:  and  QR  coded  Energized  Textbooks  for  all  grades  (one nation, one digital platform).
-  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 .

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  were  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.

Where the digital facility (mobile device/ DTH television) is not available, Ministry of Education has taken many initiatives like Community Radio Stations and a podcast called Shiksha Vani of CBSE,  Textbooks,  worksheet  supplied to residence of learners, Handbook on 21st Century Skills and community/mohalla classes. Innovation Funds under Samagra Shiksha are used to set up mobile schools, virtual studios, virtual classrooms in schools,  pre-loaded  tablets  etc.,  in  various  states  and  UTs  in  remote/rural  areas  where online classes are difficult. Further, in order to provide continuous professional development  opportunities  to  the  teachers  at  the  elementary  level,  this  Department launched  the  NISHTHA  online  training  programme  using  DIKSHA  platform  in  October 2020.  NISHTHA  online  for  elementary  level  covered  18  modules  in  11  languages, including use of ICT in teaching-learning.

A comprehensive learning recovery plan (LRP) has been issued on 01.02.2022 to support States/UTs under Samagra Shiksha to provide a multipronged & holistic approach to  ensure  that  children  received  suitable  support.  Under  this,  support  is  provided  to States/UTs for various interventions including Learning Enhancement Programme (LEP), Teacher  Resource  Package  (TRP),  Oral  Reading  Fluency  Study  (ORF),  ICT  facility  to Block  Resource  Centers  (BRCs),  Strengthening  of  Clusters  Resource  Centers  (CRCs), etc.

Under  the  Bharat  Net  programme,  the  CSC  e-Governance  Services  India  Ltd. (CSC-SPV) of MeitY has been assigned the task of providing Fibre to the Home (FTTH)

connectivity to the Government Institutions, including schools. Samagra  Shiksha  is  an  overarching  programme  for  the  school  education  sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education  at  all  levels  of  school  education.  Under  the  Information  &  Communication Technology  (ICT)  component  of  the  Scheme,  there  is  a  provision  to  impart  computer literacy and  computer  enabled  learning to children, by developing and  deploying curriculum based interactive multimedia, digital books, virtual labs etc. across the country. It supports establishment of smart classrooms, and ICT labs in schools, including support for  hardware,  educational  software  and  e-content  for  teaching.  It  envisages  covering  all Government/Government-aided schools with classes VI to XII.

Government accords high priority to promotion of smart classrooms in schools all over the country including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. In the Kendriya  Vidyalayas  and  Navodaya  Vidyalayas,  Smart  class  systems  (e-classrooms) facilities have been set up in the form of desktop / Tablet based system, interactive board displays, etc.

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