Lok Sabha Question No. 2127 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-05
Subject: e-Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Arun Govil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2127

## ANSWERED ON 05/08/2024

## e-Education

## † 2127 SHRI ARUN GOVIL:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government has announced various e-Learning programmes to achieve the goal of providing digital education to all, across the country including Meerut;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether students and teachers can interact simultaneously from different locations through audio and video conferencing, live chats and virtual classrooms;

(d) whether the Government proposes to develop such infrastructure in schools;

(e) if so, the details thereof; and

(f)  the  details  of  the  schools  in  which  virtual  classrooms  have  been  installed  across  the country, State-wise especially in Meerut?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

- (a) to (f) The National Education Policy (NEP)- 2020 in Para 24.4 (c) emphasizes various key initiatives  such  as  Online  teaching  platform  and  tools:  Appropriate  existing  e-learning platforms  such  as  SWAYAM,  DIKSHA,  will  be  extended  to  provide  teachers  with  a structured,  user-friendly,  rich  set  of  assistive  tools  for  monitoring  progress  of  learners. Tools, such as, two-way video and two-way-audio interface for holding online classes are a real necessity as the present pandemic has shown.

To achieve  the  objectives  of  NEP  2020,  Ministry  of  Education  has  undertaken  various initiatives that include e-Learning programmes. These initiatives are available free of cost to all learners across the country.

The major initiatives are:-

- 1) PM eVIDYA: PM eVidya unifies all efforts related to e-education including digital/online/on-air  education  to  enable  multi-mode  access  to  education.  PM  eVIDYA benefit nearly 25 crore school going children across the country.

The key initiatives under PM eVidya are: -

-  DIKSHA Portal - the nation's digital infrastructure for providing quality e-Learning content for school education in States/UTs and QR coded Energized Textbooks for all grades (one nation, one digital platform).
-  DTH TV Channels - As per the Union Budget announcement for Financial Year 2022-23, the  12  DTH  Channels  have  been  expanded  to  200  PM  eVIDYA  DTH  TV  Channels  to enable all States/UTs to provide supplementary education in various Indian languages for classes 1-12. The channels have been allocated to the States/UTs and they are using it.
-  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.  This  is  available  on  NIOS  website/ YouTube.
- 2) Ministry  of  Education  is  also  implementing  a  National  Mission  to  improve  learning outcomes through an Integrated Teacher Training Programme called NISHTHA - National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement. NISHTHA courses have been launched for Elementary, Secondary, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). NISHTHA courses high-quality professionally  made  eContent.  More  than  65  lakh  teachers  have  completed  NISHTHA

are offered online by the NCERT  on  the DIKSHA  platform using Trainings, of which 45 Lakhs+ have completed in e-Learning mode.

- 3) National Mission on Education for ICT (NMEICT) is the flagship central sector scheme for enabling  anytime,  anywhere  access  to  high  quality  e-education  through  a  multi-modal approach  to  all  higher  education  students  across  the  country  implemented  through  the support  of  top  institutes  like  IIT-Madras,  Delhi  University,  IIM-Bengaluru,  IGNOU  and many others.

Further,  'ICT  and  Digital  initiatives'  component  of  centrally  sponsored  scheme  of  Samagra Shiksha covers Government and Government Aided schools having classes VI to XII, subject to the availability of budgetary provision. Financial assistance is provided under the Options of 'ICT Lab' and 'Smart Classrooms in schools'.  The norms of the scheme include support for procurement  of  both  recurring  and  non-recurring  components  such  as  digital  boards,  smart classrooms, virtual classrooms, Operating System & Application Software, Open-Source Video Conferencing  Software  (FOSS)  complying  to  DIKSHA,  Internet  connectivity,  training  of teachers  etc.  that  enables  simultaneous  interaction  among  teachers,  students  and  others  from different locations through audio and video conferencing, live chats and virtual classrooms. The norms of the scheme can be accessed at https://samagra.education.gov.in/docs/ss\_implementation.pdf

The total numbers of schools which are covered under such scheme / project / initiative during the last five years are annexed.

As informed by Government of Uttar Pradesh, 141 Smart-Classes and 14 ICT Labs have been installed in Meerut district.

*******

Annexure

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  PART  (A)  TO  (F)  OF  THE  REPLY  OF  LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2127  ANSWERED  ON  05.08.2024 ASKED  BY  SHRI  ARUN  GOVIL,  HON'BLE  MEMBER  OF  PARLIAMENT REGARDING E-EDUCATION

| States/UTs Name                        |   ICT Labs Approval (From 2020-21 to 2024-25) |   Smart Classrooms Approval (From 2020-21 to 2024-25) |
|----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| ANDAMANANDNICOBAR ISLANDS              |                                            28 |                                                     0 |
| ANDHRA PRADESH                         |                                          2687 |                                                  5190 |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH                      |                                           291 |                                                   243 |
| ASSAM                                  |                                          3132 |                                                  6416 |
| BIHAR                                  |                                             0 |                                                  4846 |
| CHANDIGARH                             |                                            35 |                                                   186 |
| CHHATTISGARH                           |                                          1734 |                                                 10318 |
| DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI and DAMANANDDIU |                                            98 |                                                   190 |
| DELHI                                  |                                             7 |                                                  1119 |
| GOA                                    |                                             3 |                                                    24 |
| GUJARAT                                |                                           728 |                                                  7078 |
| HARYANA                                |                                           620 |                                                  3520 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH                       |                                           995 |                                                  2248 |
| JAMMU AND KASHMIR                      |                                          1512 |                                                  3338 |
| JHARKHAND                              |                                          3859 |                                                  1270 |
| KARNATAKA                              |                                          1123 |                                                  1868 |
| KERALA                                 |                                             0 |                                                   509 |
| LADAKH                                 |                                           119 |                                                   123 |
| LAKSHADWEEP                            |                                             0 |                                                     0 |
| MADHYAPRADESH                          |                                          1801 |                                                  7934 |
| MAHARASHTRA                            |                                           637 |                                                  3501 |
| MANIPUR                                |                                           272 |                                                   544 |
| MEGHALAYA                              |                                           267 |                                                    25 |
| MIZORAM                                |                                           651 |                                                   238 |
| NAGALAND                               |                                             0 |                                                   690 |
| ODISHA                                 |                                           302 |                                                  7336 |
| PUDUCHERRY                             |                                            16 |                                                   145 |
| PUNJAB                                 |                                          1881 |                                                  3885 |
| RAJASTHAN                              |                                          2988 |                                                 12627 |
| SIKKIM                                 |                                            99 |                                                   301 |
| TAMIL NADU                             |                                          9115 |                                                  7044 |
| TELANGANA                              |                                          1086 |                                                  3982 |
| TRIPURA                                |                                           773 |                                                   886 |
| UTTAR PRADESH                          |                                          5565 |                                                 26746 |
| UTTARAKHAND                            |                                           240 |                                                  2511 |
| WEST BENGAL                            |                                          1361 |                                                     0 |
| Total                                  |                                         44025 |                                                126881 |

Source: PRABANDH