Gyan Darshan
A 24x7 dedicated education TV channel will be rolled out soon. The human resources development ministry plans to launch an exclusive channel (on Gyan Darshan) which will beam programmes on formal education and adult literacy. A slew of departments, including NCERT, IGNOU and National Institute of Open Schools, have been roped in to make the channel a reality. The ministry has convened a meeting of central and state regulatory institutions in school education on Jan 17 to finalize the modalities.
While NCERT will be the nodal agency, IGNOU's Electronic Media Production Centre will handle the uplinking. Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), an NCERT unit, will submit the programme plan for the first three months to the ministry. Currently, Gyan Darshan channel beams programmes only a couple of hours every day.
The announcement comes at a time when the Centre is finding it difficult to bring states on board to implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Act), 2009. Apart from formal education, both in school and through open education, adult literacy programmes will be the focal point. The HRD ministry launched the Sakshar Bharat Mission to achieve 80% literacy by 2012.
The task of producing quality programmes will be shouldered by Films Division, Doordarshan, Vigyan Prasar, state institutes of educational technology, and state Sarva Shikha Abhiyan departments. The departments proposed an estimated expenditure of Rs 6.3 crore and non-recurring expenditure of about Rs 86 lakh to make the channel operational. The scientific advisory council to the Prime Minister had recommended an exclusive channel to popularize science in India.
Karnataka, one of the first states to introduce satellite-based education in universities and for teacher training in schools, welcomed the initiative.
"The proposed channel is welcome as it will make quality educational programmes accessible to people of all age groups. This is a knowledge initiative and Karnataka will render all assistance," Vishveshwara Hedge Kageri, minister for primary and secondary education, said.
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