New Delhi, 18 May 2021: In a high-level meeting held on Monday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank sat with School Education Secretaries of all states and UTs to discuss the various strategies which can be adopted for the management of the education system amid COVID-19. The issue of the postponed CBSE Class 12 board exams was also discussed and suggestions were sought from the states.
Following are the suggestions that emerged during the meeting
?Bharat net to connect all the schools
?Provide digital devices to secondary school students pic.twitter.com/iHpsaQkWNz— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) May 17, 2021
On 14 April 2021, CBSE announced its decision to cancel the Class 10 board exam and postpone the Class 12 board exam. Simultaneously, it also stated that a review meeting will be conducted to discuss an appropriate schedule for Class 12 exams on June 1. However, ever since, the COVID wave continued to rise, raising the concerns of both students as well as the parents. Hence, Dr. Pokhriyal chaired this high level meeting, so that a suitable decision on the subject can be arrived at before-time, in accordance with the COVID-19 situation in different states across the country.
Points Discussed in the Meeting
- In the meeting, the Education Minister said that despite the pandemic, the state and central agencies have managed to deliver online education to 240 million students who are enrolled in the schools and colleges. “We have been successful in transforming our homes into classrooms in these unprecedented times. We have also set an example of ensuring that no student faced a year loss,” he said.
- Pointing at the issue of ‘digital gap’, Pokhriyal said, “The second wave has forced the education institutions to remain closed for a longer period. While we have ensured that students are learning at home through various initiatives, we should focus on the needs of the aspirational districts where there is a digital gap so that we can empower the local bodies, NGOs, and the parents and teachers.”
He further added, “For this, we would need new learning methodologies, quality learning content, and evaluation assessment model. The scientific temperament of students will play a deciding role in the post COVID world. Therefore, the education system of our country should focus on developing critical thinking ability, logical reasoning ability, and scientific temper among students.”
- The Minister of State Education, Sanjay Dhitre stated during the meeting that exploring ways to provide a hybrid education comprising of both online and offline teaching methods is a necessity.
- The Union Education Minister noted down all the concerns and suggestions given by the State Secretaries and UTs and appreciated them for their tremendous efforts in the field of education. He assured everyone that the Ministry will extend its support in this difficult time.
Last year, the Class 10 board exams had to be postponed mid-way in March. They were cancelled and the results were declared on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme.
