Classes on state TV for students in Gujarat

Gujarat's education ministry has said classes will be available on state television for students who do not have access to online sessions.

Gandhinagar:Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama has ordered for dissemination of classes on Doordarshan Girnar and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG). Till June 29, over 10,000 applications have been received, sources said.

The move follows reports that about 5.7 percent of students who enrolled under the Right to Education Act or RTE failed to attend online classes from June 2020 to January 3, 2021, due to lack of electronic gadgets.

In order to obtain admission under RTE, the child must be of five years old by June 1, 2021. The annual income of all categories except the Below Poverty Line in rural areas should not exceed Rs 1,20,000. In urban areas, annual income should not exceed Rs 1,50,000. The entire admission procedure is conducted online, sources said.

In rural areas of Gujarat, government school teachers visit students at their homes and the timetable for classes held on Doordarshan Girnar channel is also issued, according to sources.

Private school students are given links to online classes and they can access it at any time. Question papers for periodic and supplementary examinations are also given to parents. Timely submission of papers is mandatory. Marks obtained in supplementary examinations are decisive, sources said.