Soon, parents might be seen coaxing their children to watch television instead of the other way around! Yes, you read that right. If the Ministry of HRD (MHRD) goes ahead with its latest proposal, this might become a common scenario in households across the country.
Reforms in the education sector are going full steam ahead and the proposal to launch Direct-To-Home (DTH) channels which will telecast free lectures from IITs and other top-tier institutions for the benefit of students is yet another move in this direction.
The What And The How
This ambitious project seeks to introduce 32 DTH channels to bring home live classrooms from 10 different locations under ‘Teaching Ends’. Of the various institutes covered under the programme, six are IITs based in Chennai, Mumbai, Kharagpur, Delhi, Kanpur, and Guwahati. Quite a few other premier institutions will also be included in this project.
The MHRD has taken the help of the Department of Space to secure the services of two transponders on a GSAT series satellite to beam the channels which will be available free of cost. All that is required to receive these is a set top box. The project is expected to start sometime in August 2016. MOUs have been signed with numerous colleges and varsities to help generate content. Professors at the top of their respective fields have been roped in to compile the video lectures which will be available in English and Hindi.
Who Will Benefit?
The primary aim of the DTH initiative is to help JEE aspirants get access to quality learning without having to rely on coaching classes. One area of concern that the MHRD will have to look into is related to any doubts that students might need clarification on. Another hurdle is evaluating a student’s understanding of what is being taught. One suggestion doing the rounds is to provide a platform for students to have their queries answered through SMS or email services.
The finer details of the project are still being worked out and a mobile-app for learning is also on the anvil. Now, only time can tell if the government’s aim of digitizing the country’s education sector pans out as intended.