One state in India that has received countrywide praise in handling the COVID-19 situation is Kerala. Now, even as other states are still trying to figure out whether or not to open schools and colleges, Kerala, which has always focussed on education, has come up with an effective solution to make education accessible to as many students as possible, even those with no internet access.
PTI reported that the State Education Department of Kerala started online sessions named ¡®First Bell¡¯.?
These sessions will be telecast through VICTERS TV channel for grades I to XII from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on weekdays. This channel is available for free on cable networks, on the internet and on direct-to-home technology all across the state. The classes began Monday.
A study in the state¡¯s government schools revealed that more than 2.6 lakh students had no facilities for online classes.
For students who do not even have access to a television, Kerala's CM announced that Neighbourhood Study Centres will be set up.?
These centres will be provided with TVs at a subsidised cost. The television sets will air the VICTERS channel and accommodate students while following social distancing norms.
The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has setup time tables for these classes. The sessions are held from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday for all grades from I to XII, except class XI, on the channel.?
According to the PTI report, modules for different classes will be prepared by agencies under the General Education Department such as the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), KITE, Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK), and the State Institute of Educational Technology.?
For the first week at least 1.2 lakh laptops, over 7,000 projectors and nearly 4,545 televisions have already been readied for the students.
Once again, Kerala has set an example for other states.?