Dharmendra Pradhan launches PM eVIDYA DTH channel for Indian sign language; promotes inclusivity in education

NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the Ministry of Education (MoE) launched PM e-Vidya DTH channel number 31 for Indian Sign Language (ISL) today, December 6. The initiative aims to support the objectives of National Education Policy (NEP) which promotes Indian Sign Language to foster more inclusive educational environment for students.

The event also witnessed participation from hearing-impaired (HI) children, HI achievers, ISL-certified interpreters, special educators, and other organisations working for mainstream the hearing-impaired community.

The new DTH channel is part of an initiative to promote Indian Sign Language both as a language and as an academic subject, making it more accessible to a broader audience.

PM e-Vidya DTH channel 31 to offer educational content

PM e-Vidya DTH channel number 31 will offer educational content for students, teachers, and educators, covering a range of topics such as career guidance, skill development, mental health, communication skills, and subject-specific curriculum. Additionally, the channel will work towards positioning ISL as a subject, much like Hindi or English.

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Speaking at the event, Dharmendra Pradhan said if there are more than 50 lakh hearing impaired people in the country, at least 5 crore people will have to connect with this initiative of NCERT, Indian Sign Language.

As per the official press release, the new channel will disseminate learning content for school students (central and state curriculum), teachers, teacher educators, and other stakeholders in various fields including career guidance, mental health, class-wise curricular content, skill training, communication skills, as well as promote sign language as a language subject, just like other verbal languages including Hindi, English, etc.

This initiative is specially designed for hearing impaired students so that they can get equal opportunities. This initiative seeks to establish Indian Sign Language as both a recognised language and an academic subject. The event was also attended by union minister of state for skill development, Jayant Chaudhary.