With more than 6,000 villages in remote parts of Odisha without mobile connectivity, Union finance ministerNirmala Sitharamans announcement of one class, one TV channel initiave is likely to boost Education.
Under the Prime Minister (PM) e-VIDYA scheme that will be expanded from 12 to 200 TV channels, states will be able to provide supplementary education in regional language for classes 1 to 12, the finance minister said.
PM e-vidya scheme is in fact an innovative concept with one nation digital platform. It aims to ensure uninterrupted online education and e-content are made available throughSwamprava/Dikhyaportals and providing TEACHING through DTH channels exclusively devoted to teaching. Students can avail Learning through these channels from the comfort of their homes. This is a viable scheme to benefit the learners if executed properly. Education through TV channels is also tenable with a few channels earmarked exclusively for teaching at various classes. Even some top universities are going to be selected for online education.
Following the outbreak ofCovid, schools had to shift to online mode of education overnight. For the last two years, lakhs of students have been deprived of education due to the digital divide. With only 33% students of the 60 lakh students in 6 to 14 age group having access to online classes in Odisha, education through TV channels may help them greatly.