Lok Sabha Question No. 2814 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-07
Subject: EDTech to Overcome Pandemic Learning Loss
Ministry: Education
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2814

## ANSWERED ON 07/08/2023

## EDTech to Overcome Pandemic Learning Loss

2814. SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government realises that it is time to examine how EdTech can supplement school education to make up the pandemic related learning loss;

(b) if so, the initiatives proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard; and

(c) if not, the reasons therefor?

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

(a) to (c) Covid-19  pandemic  has  presented  unprecedented  challenges  for  the  education sector as the schools could not open for most part of the academic years and large migrations took place all over the country. The extended school closures have interrupted the learning process of children and caused learning loss at every stage. Consequently, the Department has taken several initiatives  to  ensure  that  the  school  going  students  do  not  lag  behind  in  their  studies  during  the pandemic. During the pandemic, the Ministry of Education has taken various steps for providing children  continued  access  to  education,  which  are  available  to  each  category  of  students irrespective of their region or economic strata.

Digital  Infrastructure  for  Knowledge  Sharing  (DIKSHA)  is  the  national  infrastructure platform  for  school  and  is  architected  as  a  set  of  building  blocks  that  has  enabled  seamless collaboration with the education ecosystem including EdTech platforms.

Keeping in view the availability of collaborative digital infrastructure such as DIKSHA, Ministry  of  Education  issued  PRAGYATA  Guidelines  on  Digital  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.  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. 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

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  make  up  the  pandemic  related  learning  loss,  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

Further,  a  comprehensive  initiative  called PM  e-VIDYA has  been  initiated  as  part  of AtmaNirbhar  Bharat Abhiyaan  on  17th May,  2020,  which  unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. The initiative includes:

- 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).
- 12  DTH  Channels  in  school  education  and  22  SWAYAM  PRABHA  channels  in  higher education are already functional. As per budget announcement for Financial Year 2022-23, the  12  DTH  Channels  would  be  expanded  to  200  (Two  hundred)  PM  e-Vidya  DTH  TV Channels.
- NIOS  and  NCERT  are  National  Coordinator  for  school  sector  courses  under  SWAYAM, delivering school courses from 9th to 12th.
- 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.

All these schemes/programmes are available to all the students across the nation.

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