Gujarat: Schools impart virtual lessons

BISAG provides 13 education channels 24x7 for Class V to XII students

IN A major move, Gujarat government has joined hands with the Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geo-informatics and launched 13 dedicated 24×7 education channels for Class V till XII students.

With the recent conversion into open to air independent transmission and replicating the pilot project into a round-the-clock education content from last week by Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, BISAG has not only technologically upgraded content for schools (each channel number from VANDE (Video Audio Network for Development and Education) Gujarat 5 till 12 denoting the respective Class) but also higher education covering arts, commerce, science, diploma and degree courses like engineering as well.

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While this is seen as an attempt to bridge the rural-urban divide and provide state-of-the-art education to areas where the government failed to set up schools in a way converting homes into classrooms but also to an attempt stop students’ shift from government to private schools, especially in the urban pockets recorded substantially in recent years.

“To make people, by this I mean both students and parents, shift from saas-bahu channels to productive ones. We have tried to make open learning into virtual learning. Yes, this is possible as we never provided the education channels to people so how would they have an inclination towards it. Since now when it is available to them free of cost round the clock people will welcome it. During the interaction and feedback gathering exercise at various levels, there was an unanimous agreement that it should be done,” T P Singh, director BISAG.

Another factor that has been tried to address is lack of trained and qualified teachers in government schools, a fact well admitted by the education department. By this, students are getting an opportunity to take lectures prepared by best of subject experts from all spheres, serving or retired, government or private.

Be it a Class V English lesson on antonyms or a Class XI Science lesson on Foundation Concepts for Chemistry and Life Sciences, the content prepared for each Class follows the classroom curriculum as well as schedule.

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Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said, “Out of total 16 channels, 13 are devoted to education. It is an attempt to bridge the rural-urban divide and private-government education ensuring students to get best of education, irrespective of their location, at their convenience, free of cost.”

For primary and upper primary classes content has been prepared and provided by Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training, State Examination Board, Gujarat Institute of Educational Technology, AMC School Board, District Institute of Education and Training. From November 28, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has also been roped in.