COVID-19: Education Ministry writes to states, UTs with learning recovery plan, activity calendar

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education has written to states and union territories with a plan for learning recovery to ensure continuum of learning and mitigate the impact of the pandemic. This includes a financial support to students, funds for primary school teachers to purchase tablets and Rs 20 lakh per state and union territory to conduct oral reading fluency (ORF) study.

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"A comprehensive learning recovery plan (LRP) has been prepared which delineates the action to be undertaken by each stakeholder, indicative annual calendar of activities, existing interventions which can be utilised and additional support with funding as a one-time measure. "In order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, there is an imperative need to have an urgent and appropriate strategy to ensure continuum of learning. We have taken a multi-pronged and holistic approach to ensure that children received suitable support," the ministry said in the letter to the states and union territories.

The states have been asked to include in their annual work plans and budgets interventions such as financial support of Rs 500 per head for all students of upper primary and secondary levels, Rs 10,000 per head for 25 lakh teachers at the primary level for tablets, funds for ORF study, financial support of Rs 6.40 lakh non-recurring and Rs 2.40 lakh recurring cost including for tablets for ICT facility in each block resource centre (BRC) and Rs 1,000 per cluster resource centre (CRC) as mobility support as part of the learning recovery plan.

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Identifying out-of-school children and drop-outs from each grade and locating them, ensuring implementation of bridge courses and school readiness module for secondary classes, clustering of schools with private schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas or Navodaya Vidyalayas for learning from each other, creating district wise strategy for post National Achievement Survey (NAS) interventions based on results, are among the activities listed in the academic calendar by the ministry with defined timelines.

The activity calendar also includes preparation and roll-out of customised training programmes for teachers, ensuring delivery of textbooks and uniforms and tracking each child by preparing child registry at school level which is available till district level.