Education Budget 2022: Govt's One Class One Channel Scheme Receives Mixed Reactions

For the first time since the closure of the schools from mid-March 2020, the union government has recognised the learning losses caused due to the pandemic-led school closures. The schools and colleges across India have been shut since the onset of the pandemic to keep kids safe, however, the on and off opening and closing of schools has pushed many far behind. To fill in the gaps caused in learning, the government has proposed the expansion of the PM e-vidya scheme.

In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that one channel will be dedicated to each class for school going students in classes 1 to 12. The number of channels offering supplementary learning will be expanded from 12 to 200. Not just centralised content but these TV channels will also offer regional and state-based teachings.

Read | From Schooling via TV, Digital University to Govt’s Skilling Portal: Key Announcement for Education Sector in Budget 2022

While the experts in the education sector have expressed happiness that the government is recognising learning losses, they have also raised doubts on the solutions suggested by the government.

Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, doctor, an epidemiologist who was also part of the parent’s body who proposed reopening of schools for the Delhi government took to Twitter to state that TV channel based teaching is not the solution to end learning losses. “Learning loss of two years to be compensated by setting up TV channels, really? It shows that we are not serious about the loss of learning of our children. Open the schools & get children back for in-person learning. Invest in school education,” he wrote.

“This is minuscule given the tremendous learning loss that our children have experienced. Significant investments in improving school quality are critical for ensuring that our demographic dividends are actually realized,” professor Tarun Jain, Associate Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad told News18.com.

President ICCR, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, however, called the move ‘innovative’. “Establishing a Digital University and over 200 channels covering multiple regional languages under the ‘One Class-One Channel’scheme are two very innovative and pathbreaking initiatives announced by the FM @nsitharaman in Education sector!(sic)”

There are many who have appreciated the efforts. “With the pandemic further distancing the marginalized students from education, the decision to expand the One Class One TV Channel’ program of the PM evidya from 12 to 200 TV channels is undoubtedly a move to make education accessible to all. The gaps in education, especially for the underprivileged students, are unfathomable, as these students have lost almost two years of formal education. Thus, supplementary initiatives to provide extensive learning resources in regional language and the effort to develop high-quality e-content that can be disseminated through various channels will enable students in the rural areas,” said Vaibhav Gupta, Marketing and Alliance Head, iSchoolConnect Technologies.

“Due to pandemic induced school closure, our children have lost almost two years of formal education. We recognised the need to impart supplementary teaching and to build resilient mechanisms for education delivery,” said FM Sitharaman during her budget speech. Other important announcements for the education sector include the setting up of a digital university, 200,000 Anganwadis to be upgraded for improving child health, a portal for skilling among others.

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