Jharkhand School Education and Literacy (SEL) Departments is all set to launch two educational applications for students of classes 1 to 12 on December 3, 2020. The applications are being launched in a bid to provide a classroom-like education experience at home and reduce educational loss due to lockdowns. The first app ‘Learnytic’ will be dedicated to the students of class 9 to class 12, while another app named ‘Digischool’ will be for the students of class 1 to class 8.
Schools all across Jharkhand are shut for the past seven months due to lockdowns triggered by COVID-19 and there are meek chances of the smooth functioning of the schools this academic session. Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) suggested conditional re-opening of the schools for students of class 9-12 however, it did not work. Therefore, the App-based method of education for students was conceptualized by the department.
The app for class 9 to class 12 contains e-book, regular syllabus, revised syllabus, digital content, video and animation contents, model questions papers and their answers. It’s a complete package. We are trying to give a classroom education kind of experience to students through the application,” JEPC Director Shailesh Chourasia said.
He added that many contents are in a presentation format which will make the learning process easier. “Videos and animations have also been used to make students understand the topics better,” he said. The app also provides the facility of a performance test.
The Digischool app would provide a similar kind of facilities for students from class 1 to 6. The school teachers and parents would be trained regarding the use of the application accordingly. The apps have been designed to benefit more than 40 lakh students studying in 35,000 government schools across the state. However, as per the estimates of JEPC, merely 30% of students from class 1 to 12 have access to smartphones in the Jharkhand. Moreover, regular and quality internet connectivity especially in the rural pockets is a perennial problem in the state. Chourasia said that the department is trying every possible facility to reduce the educational loss caused during lockdowns.
The students, who would not be able to use the facility, for now, would be guided by the school teachers. The teachers have been asked to help students through phone calls or other possible methods,” he said.
The students will have to register themselves to avail the facilities of the app. The education department through District Education Officers (DEOs) has asked all schools Principals and teachers to ensure the registration of students from class 9 to class 12 by December 3.
