Lok Sabha Question No. 51 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-25
Subject: Promotion of Digital Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †51 ANSWERED ON 25.11.2024

## Promotion of Digital Education

## †51. SHRI SUKHJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government proposes to promote digital education in the country;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the  names  of  the  universities  selected  from  the  State  of  Punjab  for  inclusion  of  the  digital curriculum in primary stage?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to (d) The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP- 2020) envisions a transformative approach to digital  education,  aiming  to  leverage  technology  to  provide  high-quality,  accessible,  and  equitable education for all. The policy promotes the integration of digital tools, resources, and platforms into the education system.

To achieve NEP 2020 aims and objective, several initiatives  have  been  taken  to  improve  access, quality and affordability of education. Ministry of Education implements an umbrella scheme 'National Mission  on  Education  through  Information  and  Communication  Technology  (NMEICT)'.  It  aims  to promote digital education through several interventions including the following:

- i. SWAYAM: The objective of SWAYAM is to provide equitable access to quality education through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), promoting inclusive learning opportunities for students, professionals, and lifelong learners across various fields and disciplines. SWAYAM has offered more than 3500 unique courses with over 4.63 crore enrolments since its inception. The list of universities adopted SWAYAM Course credit in the State of Punjab is placed at Annexure I, may be seen at https://www.education.gov.in/parl\_ques
- ii. SWAYAM  Prabha: The  SWAYAM  PRABHA  is  a  group  of  48  DTH  channels  devoted  to telecasting  of  high-quality  educational  programmes  with  an  aim  to  make  education  accessible especially for rural area students. These channels are freely available for all learners across the country,  including  the  State  of  Punjab,  and  broadcast  through  DD  Free  dish  and  internet applications. As on 21 st  November 2024, there are more than 1.5 lacs unique educational video lectures, accumulating a total watch time exceeding 92,000 hours.
- iii. SWAYAM Plus: Ministry of Education and IIT Madras has launched an online platform featuring high-quality courses in collaboration with leading industry partners. It aims to boost employability among students and lifelong learners. As on day, 55 MoUs have been signed with the eminent

industry partners. The platform offers 322 courses from emerging sectors including Healthcare, Hospitality  &  Tourism,  Information  Technology  &  Services,  Banking,  Finance  Services  & Insurance etc. As on 21st November 2024, the total number of learners enrolled on SWAYAM Plus platform is more than 1.2 lakhs.

- iv. SATHEE: The  platform  provides  free  access  to  quality  resources  for  competitive  examination such  as  JEE,  NEET,  SSC,  ICAR,  CUET,  and  IBPS  etc.  to  all  students/  learners  across  the country.

The  content  is  curated  by  the  academicians  from  prestigious  institutions  such  as  the  Indian Institutes  of  Technology  (IITs)  and  All  India  Institute  of  Medical  Sciences  (AIIMS),  contributing their expertise to help students/ learners to prepare for competitive exams. The platform offers over 10,000 video lectures, 80,000+ problems, mock tests, an AI chatbot and provide mentorship to the aspirants of JEE, NEET, SSC etc.

- v. SAMARTH: Government has launched SAMARTH ERP solution to make educational institutions future ready digital campuses. SAMARTH aims at providing Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with  a  fully  managed,  cloud-based,  comprehensive  ERP  (Enterprise  Resource  Planning) solutions with 9 packages comprising of more than 40 modules on a single platform. As on 21 st November  2024,  13  Universities/  HEIs  from  Punjab  have  adopted  the  platform  placed  at Annexure II , may be seen at https://www.education.gov.in/parl\_ques

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