New Delhi: The National Council for Education and Research Training (NCERT) has developed an alternative academic calendar with the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Released by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, the 'Alternative Academic Calendar' is designed to keep students engaged during their stay at home due to the coronavirus lockdown and keep them meaningfully engaged through educational activities with help from their parents and teachers.
Internet or call?
Pokhriyal said the alternative calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological and social media tools available to impart education in interesting ways. The calendar has taken into account the varying levels of access to "mobile, radio, television, SMS and various social media”.
In cases where access to internet is an issue or an impediment in engaging in activities, the government has directed teachers to make use of calls and SMSes.
“The fact that many of us may not have internet facility on mobile or may not be able to use different social media tools such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc., the calendar guides teachers to further guide parents and students through SMS on mobile phones or mobile call. Parents are expected to help elementary stage students to implement this calendar,” said the statement from the ministry.
The calendar includes chapter wise e-content available on e-pathshala, NROER and DIKSHA portal of the government.
What’s in the calendar?
The alternative academic calendar will cover all classes from 1-12 and subject areas catering to the need of all children, including divyang children (those with special needs). There will be links for audio books, radio and video programmes.
“The calendar contains week-wise plan consisting of interesting and challenging activities, with reference to theme/chapter taken from syllabus or textbook. Most importantly, it maps the themes with the learning outcomes,” said Pokhriyal. “The purpose of mapping of themes with learning outcomes is to facilitate teachers/parents to assess the progress in the learning of children and also to go beyond textbooks.”
The calendar covers experiential learning activities such as arts education, physical exercises, yoga, pre-vocational skills. There are class-wise and subject-wise activities in tabular forms, including activities related to four languages as subject areas - Hindi English, Urdu and Sanskrit. There is space given to the strategies of reducing stress and anxiety among teachers, students and parents.
The calendar will be disseminated through DTH channels and via video conferencing with SCERTs, Directorates of Education, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, CBSE, State School Education Boards, among others.
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