When Jinender Soni quit his high-paying job in 2019 to start an online coaching academy for government school students, little did he know that he would be revolutionising Rajasthan's education system during a pandemic.
Since March 2020, when the coronavirus lockdown was imposed, the Rajasthan government has been devising methods to ensure students, especially in the rural areas, have access to digital education.
Soni’s endeavour in Jhunjhunu district coupled with the availability of computer labs in the district’s government schools has now become the model for the state, reported India Today.
Impressed by his model, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot initiated training in online education for government school teachers. He has formed a team of 40 teachers who record videos of the lessons for higher classes of the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan, and post them online, the report added.
The video lectures can be accessed on YouTube or on the mobile app of Soni’s Mission Gyan. Students can post their doubts in the comments section, and then expect prompt replies.
At present, there are videos for Classes 6-12 in Hindi and 'Mission Gyan' has got the contract for preparing content for the Classes 1-5 as well.
The government has instructed the teachers to monitor the progress of students by checking if the students have access to a digital device.
Of eight million students enrolled in the state, the state government has distributed the video courses to 3.5 million students, according to the report.
Rajasthan's education department has also become the first to come up with digital lessons for specially abled children under 'Samarth Abhiyan.'
Encouraged by the results of digital education, the Rajasthan government now plans to create ‘smart classrooms’ in every school in the state.
(With inputs from India Today)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)