With schools being closed amid the Coronavirus outbreak, education of approximately 45 lakh students from various government schools across Jharkhand has been affected.  In an attempt to continue with their learning process, Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) is conducting classes for these children through special educational broadcasts which are being aired on DD Jharkhand from May 11 onwards.

The lectures for students from class I to class XII have been designed by JEPC and will aired from 10 am to 12 noon and again from 1 pm to 2 pm from Monday to Friday till June 10.

Starting at 10 am, for the first 30 minutes Meena ki Kahaani and Life Skills will be aired which will be applicable for students across all ages. The content is based on engaging children and has same has been provided by UNICEF. The slot of 10:30 am to 11 am has been fixed for students of class I to class V. Classes for standard VI to VII will be aired from 11 am to 11:30 am where as for standard IX and XII from 11:30 am to 12 noon. The last slot will be from 1 pm to 2 pm where the first half an hour has been fixed for class X and the latter for class XII.

“Presently, for all classes the content is being provided chapter as well as subject wise. Time constraint will be there as it is not possible to conduct classes through television channels for about five to six hours daily. This schedule has been planned as per the maximum time allotted by the channel. As of now classes will be held till June 10 but if the lockdown is extended further or educational institutions continue to remain closed then classes will continue to be aired through Doordarshan,” said Dr Abhinav Kumar, State Program Manager, Quality Education, JEPC.

The Council also plans to provide a toll free number and e- mail address where students can register their doubts post classes. After collecting queries for a week, a panel will be formed to answer all the questions and clear doubts.

In the videos which will be aired, teachers will be seen teaching where as for complicated topics, video graphics have also been prepared to make it easier for the children to understand,” added the JEPC official.

“The classes will be aired on channel number 79 of DD Free Dish and also on channel number 1566 of Dish TV. They will also be live streamed on YouTube and students can attend by logging onto DD Jharkhand. However, the recorded versions will be available on YouTube which can be seen anytime,” said Subodh Kumar, Program Head, Doordarshan Kendra, Ranchi.

The Godda District Administration along with Gyanodaya- a digital learning mission led by Adani Foundation has also tied up with Doordarshan Jharkhand to impart educational content for students of class VI to class XII starting from May 11. More than 50 lakh students who do not have access to internet and smartphones are expected to benefit from this initiative.

With more than 500 teachers associated with the project in Godda, they will also be available on phone to answer any questions that the students may have while the content is being broadcasted,

The content on DD Jharkhand is slated to benefit children in remote areas who may not have access to other digital learning platforms.