Lok Sabha Question No. 44 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-25
Subject: e-Classes
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KESHAV PRASAD MAURYA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 44 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.04.2016

## e-Classes

## †44. SHRI KESHAV PRASAD MAURYA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any proposal to impart education through e-classes and e-books in the primary and higher secondary schools and colleges in the interest of the environment in the country;
- (b) if so, the time by which it is likely to be started along with the outlines thereof;
- (c) whether there is any proposal to impart vocational education in addition to general education in the colleges in the country;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) & (b):  Yes Madam, this Ministry has a proposal to impart education through e-Classes and e-books  for  the  college  students.  About  93,000  e-Books  for  the  college  students  are  already available under National Mission on Education through Information  and  Communication Technology (NMEICT) Programme. However, education through e-Classes under a programme called Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) is likely to begin around August, 2016 and it shall make available 'On Line Courses' called 'MOOCs' for students from class 9 to 12, Under Graduate and Post Graduate classes in all the disciplines.

Under  the  'Information  and  Communication  Technology  (ICT)  in  Schools',  component  of  the centrally  sponsored  scheme  Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RMSA),  ICT  enabled teaching and learning is supported in Government and Government aided Secondary and Higher Secondary schools.

Keeping pace with the Digital India initiative, a web-site called 'e-Pathshala', has been developed by NCERT to disseminate all the NCERT textbooks, audio, video, images, interactive objects etc. The  digital  contents  including  e-books  from  Class  I-XII  are  available  on  e-Pathshala,  National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) and NCERT websites. The digital contents are available in English, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit. The stakeholders (students, teachers, educators and  parents)  can  search,  access,  download  and  read/use  these  e-contents  through  multiple technology platforms i.e. mobile phones, and tablets and on web through laptops and desktops.

(c) to (e) The  Department  of  Higher  Education,  Ministry  of  HRD  has  implemented  the following  skill  development  programmes  in  higher  educational  institutions  to  impart  vocational education.

- (i) Community College Scheme.
- (ii) B. Vocs degree programme.
- (iii) Deen Dayal Upadhyay KAUSHAL Kendras
- (iv) National  Skill  Qualification  Framework  (NSQF)  Programme  in  AICTE  approved Colleges/Polytechnics
- (v) National Employability Enhancement Mission (NEEM)
- (vi) Employability Enhancement Training Programme (EETP)

The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD has also introduced a new scheme under the umbrella of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) through Technical Institutions with the aim to impart engineering education to 10 lakh youth in the next three years starting from the academic year 2016-17.

Further, under the component of Vocationalisation of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education of Rashtriya Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan, financial assistance is provided to the State Government/UT Administrations for introducing of vocational education from Class IX upto class XII.

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