Amidst the uncertainty over schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Karnataka government is seeking the help of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) to televise classes, the state Education Minister said on Tuesday.
In a survey conducted by the Education department, it was found out that 95% households had television sets.
S Suresh Kumar, the Karnataka Education Minister said that the state operates government schools in nine languages, including Kannada, English and Urdu.
"To cater to all the students, and considering a long-term strategy to run schools by maintaining social distancing, we are in immediate need of minimum three exclusive channels to teach through TV," he said.
The state has written to the government regarding this.
"We request you to provide a minimum of three channels on the Doordarshan (DD) network exclusively for the Department of Public Instruction, Government of Karnataka," Primary and Secondary Education Minister, S Suresh Kumar said in a letter to Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Suggesting co-branding the channels under DD and the state education department, he asked for the channels to be mandatorily transmitted by the cable and DTH operators under the Cable Act.
The state Education department has already discussed with Prasar Bharti officials, who, according Suresh Kumar, have assured 3+3 hours of time slots on the education channel Chandana on a cost basis.
"We have also made all the necessary arrangements for content creation by the teachers," he said.
The minister has said that television is the best medium for students as a home learning mode in these challenging times.
"The department of public instruction reviewed various technological options and considered TV as one of the best means for home learning," Kumar said.
According to Kumar, the Karnataka government is facing hardships to meet the capital expenditure requirements and hence is seeking help from the I&B Ministry.