Odisha to start online education for class 10 students of govt schools

With studies getting hampered due to the ongoing lockdown to combat COVID-19, the Odisha government is planning to introduce online education for Class 10 students of government schools.

Though many private educational institutions have started online studies after schools and colleges were closed in the state following the lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19, government-run schools were unable to do so due to lack of required infrastructure, an official said.

To begin with, students of government schools who are going to be promoted to Class 10 this year will be imparted online education and they have been advised to be prepared for digital lesions, states School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash told PTI.

Emphasising that the students must remain indoors as part of precautionary steps against COVID-19, he said, they have been asked to pursue online studies as courses remained incomplete due to closure of educational institutions following the coronavirus outbreak.

Moreover, the lockdown has been extended till April 30 while all educational institutions in the state will remain shut till June 17.

"It is necessary to work out new methods of imparting education to students by connecting them with teachers under this extraordinary situation," Dash said.

Students who have a desktop or laptop with internet facilities in their houses have been advised to download the DIKSHA app for online studies, he said.

The teachers will also be given necessary instruction to guide the students and online education is proposed to be started for those getting promoted to Class 10 in the first phase.

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DIKSHA is a national platform through which teachers, students and parents can interact with each other regarding all school activities.

The teachers can use this platform to access and create high-quality teaching, learning and assessment resources in different subjects. They can also discuss difficult concepts with fellow teachers, view their teaching history and receive official announcements from the education department.

With the help of this platform, the students can revise their lessons, practice academic exercises, find additional materials on difficult topics as well as get immediate feedback from their teachers, he said.

The government will work out a comprehensive plan for promotion of online education once the lockdown period is over, Dash said. Such a plan will enable all concerned to deal with similar situations effectively in future, he said.

Meanwhile, delivery of books for the next academic session which was to begin in the first week of April, has been delayed because of the lockdown.

Books are with block level officials and steps are being taken to ensure its distribution among students as soon as the situation turns normal, officials said.

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