ISRO to help government set up satellite TV classrooms: Reports

NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, will provide technical assistance to set up “satellite TV classrooms” to bridge learning gaps among schoolchildren due to COVID-19 lockdown, Asian News International reported.

ISRO officials made a detailed presentation on these satellite TV classrooms to a Parliamentary Committee on education on Friday, the report said.

“Scientists from ISRO attended the meeting today and made a presentation about the use of satellite TV classrooms for the students before the officials of ministry of electronics and information technology (MEITY) and Doordarshan,” a Parliament source told ANI.

The committee led by Vinay Sahasrabudhe had earlier recommended that the government implement satellite TV classrooms with the help of ISRO across India. The recommendations came in light of the increasing learning gap due to the digital divide and COVID-19 restrictions.

The committee explored the possibility of using satellite TV classrooms to broadcast education programmes to cluster classrooms to solve the issue of smartphone and data connectivity. Education secretaries from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Arunachal Pradesh also attended the meeting held on Friday, ANI report further added.

Education loss due to COVID-19

Meanwhile, the education ministry is still in the process of collecting data from states on learning losses caused by school shutdown and limited access to digital education during the pandemic, The Hindu reported. The data, the report said, was expected to be collated by the end of June.

“The School Education Department says more time is needed for the States to collect the data [on learning losses]. Hopefully, we will get it by the end of the month,” a panel member told The Hindu.

According to the ANI report, members of the committee will also take a five-day visit to Ladakh and Jammu Kashmir to assess the COVID-19 situation on ground. A total of 30 members will take stock of the situation at various schools, universities and sports complexes.

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