Coronavirus Impact: MHRD Issues Guidelines for Online Learning
The Department of School Education and Literacy, MHRD has issued extensive guidelines for online education for the schools, states, parents, teachers and students. Check the guidelines here.
The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has announced guidelines for online/digital education for the states, schools, teachers, parents, and students.
The guidelines have been released in the form of a 20-pages rule book known as 'Pragyata'. The guidelines were issued post a meeting between the ministry and the respective representatives from the states and UTs on June 8, 2020. The Ministry has directed the states to come up with need-based strategies in order to create a suitable digital learning environment. It has also asked them to refer to the alternative academic calendar developed by the NCERT which was released this month.
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States also need to 'curate and use digital resources and tools which comprise the Open and Free resources.' MHRD has asked the schools to create alternative timetables without making any change in the face-to-face interaction and facilitate the access to digital tools for the teachers. And, most importantly, the ministry has also been directed to decrease the screen time to 30 minutes on alternative days for the pre-primary and 2 sessions of 20-25 minutes each day for the elementary and 4 sessions of 30-45 minutes for the secondary and higher secondary level students.
The guidelines also state that how the parents and students should stick to healthy online habits and postures while attending online classes and making sure that the cybercafe is safe and secure.
Schools across India have been shut since mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak and classes had to be then conducted online. The students who live in remote areas will be imparted lessons through TV and radio.
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MHRD's Diksha portal has CBSE and NCERT state-board syllabus for classes 1-12 on the official website and also on the mobile app. NCERT syllabus for classes 1-12 is also available on the E-pathshala and National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER). SWAYAM, which has gained a lot of popularity off late is also an online platform by the MHRD. SWAYAM offers courses to the students who are in classes 9-12. There is SWAYAM Prabha as well which is for NIOS students in classes 9-12.