As many as 317 study centres will be opened in Kozhikode district to help students who do not have facilities at home to access ‘First Bell’, the online learning initiative launched by the State government on June 1.
Libraries, educational centres in tribal hamlets, anganwadis, Akshaya centres, and centres of excellence will double up as learning centres from Wednesday, according to A.K. Abdul Hakeem, District Project Coordinator, Samagra Shiksha, Keralam (SSK).
A meeting of the district education committee chaired by District Collector S. Sambasiva Rao on Tuesday asked local bodies to arrange equipment for these places.
Teachers in primary schools would be in charge of learning and head teachers should ensure that no student was left out of its ambit. Assistant educational officers, block project coordinators, and academic coordinators were asked to monitor their functioning. The District Collector asked cable TV operators to ensure that Victers Channel, through which the online classes were being broadcast, was being aired across all platforms.
‘Rasakkudukka’
Meanwhile, the Kozhikode unit of SSK has devised a programme titled ‘Rasakkudukka’ to help differently abled students gain access to online learning.
According to a release, students, teachers, and resource persons would be added to Telegram or WhatsApp groups through which lessons would be imparted. This is an extension of a programme earlier implemented in block resource centres in Feroke, Perambra, Mavoor, Panthalayani, and Vadakara. The effort would be to customise the lessons now being broadcast through ‘First Bell’ initiative launched by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) and Victers channel for differently abled students and help those who do not have the facilities for online education.
Facilities in schools
The Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Malappuram, said on Tuesday that online facilities had been arranged for primary class students who did not have smart phones and television facilities at their homes. She said local libraries would also be made use of, if needed.
However, she said that primary students should not reach their schools for online classes if they did not have facilities. Cluster coordinators would go to their homes with laptops and offer them digital classes, she said.
Classes given through Victers channel would also be made available on Facebook and YouTube. “So there is no question of missing the classes,” she said.
Ponnani Municipality officials said they had set up 28 centres for the children who did not have facilities for online classes.
In Thrissur
T.N. Prathapan, MP, has said online learning facilities will be arranged for students in the 20-odd tribal hamlets in the district. People can donate used or new televisions and tablets. Film actor Tovino Thomas has offered 10 new tablets.
There are tribal hamlets in Chalakudy, Kodakara, Pazhayannur and Wadakkanchery panchayats in the district.
Panchayats, libraries and voluntary organisations have made arrangements for those who do not have such facilities at their houses. Teachers in respective areas give directions before each class.
