Coronavirus effects: Gujarat education dept to broadcast lessons through private TV channel

During this process of door-to-door reaching out to students starting Wednesday, these teachers will also publicise and make the beneficiaries aware about this initiative of lessons to be taught through television.

While talks are almost final with a Gujarati channel for telecast rights for two hours between 2 to 4 pm daily from March 18-29, other implementation details are being worked out in meetings by senior officials of the state education department. Instructions are likely to be passed to all district education officers by later in the day today.

“Students cannot just sit idle at home during this crucial time of the academic session. This entire alternative is being planned out to make up for the lost teaching days and also to avoid any delay in the next academic session. Further, planning will be chalked out in view of the situation that develops in the coming days,” confirmed secretary education Vinod Rao.

This year, the state education department had also announced to introduce a major change from academic session 2020-21. Unlike the usual practice of starting from June, it will start from the month of April.

The state education department had earlier announced the annual examinations for primary classes to start from March 26. Tentatively these are re-scheduled on March 30 now. Nearly ten scheduled teaching days are lost due to this shut down

However, the state government on Sunday had announced a complete suspension of teaching work in all education institutes including schools, colleges, tuition classes and even anganwadi centres for two weeks; March 16-29. Though all teaching and non teaching staff members are required to report to their duties.

“We are also exploring other platforms like Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG). Though the telecast through BISAG can be viewed with the help of technological setup on screens installed at schools only which is usually done otherwise through our education channels ‘Vande Gujarat’, we are technologically exploring if that can also be possible with the help of Jio mobile phone and DD dish,” revealed a senior education official privy to the development. Vande Gujarat channel, is watched in classrooms.

The lessons for Class VI till VIII would be for three subjects-Mathematics, Science and English.

“While we have a few recorded lessons from our state resource group experts we will have more of live lessons, both of 22 minutes each (excluding the break time of a 30 minute slot). During a day all three classes will be catered to,” another official revealed on the condition of anonymity.

As per the academic calendar, if the schools were not closed down, the students will be taking their last chapters of each subject just ahead of their annual examinations.

Also, government primary school teachers will go door to door with the PATs along with worksheets where students of Class III to VIII will be required to write down all these assignments as a part of revision. These worksheets will then have to be submitted to the school once these open on March 30.