Lok Sabha Question No. 770 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-07
Subject: NIPUN Bharat Scheme
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Jayant Sinha

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 770 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07 th  FEBRUARY, 2022

## NIPUN Bharat Scheme

## 770. SHRI JAYANT SINHA:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a)  whether  it  is  true  that  the  COVID-19  pandemic  has  significantly  impacted  the foundational education of children; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c)  if  so,  whether  NIPUN  Bharat  Scheme  aims  to  bridge  this  gap  created  due  to  the pandemic and the details thereof; and (d) the achievements of the scheme in improving the foundational education of students and capacity building of teachers?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (Dr. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (d): COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented public health emergency that has led to severe disruptions in normal life, including closure of schools. A  National  Achievement  Survey  across  the  country  has  been  conducted  on  12th November  2021  for  Grade  3,  5,  8  and  10  students  of  State  Government  schools, Government Aided schools, Private Unaided recognized schools and Central Government schools for assessing the competencies attained by the students vis-a-vis learning outcomes.

During the pandemic, the Ministry of Education has taken various steps for providing continued  access  to  education,  which  are  available  to  each  category  of  students irrespective of their region or economic standard. A comprehensive initiative called PM e-Vidya has been started which aims to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. The initiative includes all forms of digital  modes  to  provide  wide  access-  DIKSHA  (online),  SWAYAM  (online),  SWAYAM PRABHA (TV), other TV Channels including use of Doordarshan and AIR Networks.

Further,  an  Alternate  Academic  Calendar  has  been  prepared  for  learning  solutions including self-assessment for grade 1 to 12 for both children with and without device. Bridge Course Modules have also been developed for bridging the learning gaps of Out of  School  children  studying  in  special  training  centres  (STC)  under  the  provisions  of RTE Act, 2009. Also, PRAGYATA guidelines were issued to the States/UTs to facilitate continued education through various modes. The guidelines inter-alia include situation where  internet  connectivity  is  not  available  or  available  with  very  less  bandwidth, 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,  Textbook,  worksheet  supplied  to residence of learners, Handbook on 21 st  Century Skills and community/mohalla classes are  being  organised.  Similarly,  Students  Learning  Enhancement  Guidelines  were released  in  2020  to  support  learning  of  children  during  COVID-19.  Guidelines  for development of e-content for children with special needs have been released. Guidelines for  parent  participation  in  Home-  based  learning  during  school  closure  and  beyond have also been released in 2021. National  Initiative  for  Proficiency  in  Reading  with  Understanding  and  Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) Mission lays down priorities and actionable agendas for States/UTs to achieve the goal of proficiency in foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by grade  3.  Detailed  guidelines  for  the  mission  have  been  developed  which  includes  the Lakshya or Targets for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy starting from the Balvatika upto age group 9. In addition, key competencies and learning outcomes on developmental  goals  have  been  developed  and  codified  covering  various  aspects, concepts and skills for each level of education under NIPUN Bharat Mission. In  addition,  the  Integrated  Teacher  Training  Programme  called  NISHTHA  3.0  on foundational literacy and numeracy was released on 7 th  September, 2021 in an online mode on DIKSHA platform for 25 lakh teachers and school heads of pre-primary to class V.    A special package consisting of 12 modules have been developed for this purpose, as per  objectives  of  NIPUN  Bharat  Mission.    Further,  under  the  mission,  Vidya  Pravesh guidelines were developed and released on 29 th  July, 2021 for the children entering in Grade-I. This is a three month play based school preparation module especially design to help teachers support   children who are coming to grade-I with diverse backgrounds. 100  days  reading  campaign  'Padhe  Bharat'-  a  national  initiative  for  creating  a  joyful reading experience for children was also launched on 1 st  January, 2022.

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