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3 DTH edu channels to be launched by NIOS under Swayam Prabha on August 15.
3 DTH channels will be launched under the HRD ministry’s ‘Swayam Prabha’, and will be operated by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). ‘Swayam Prabha’ will most likely be launched by PM Narendra Modi on August 15.
Sometime ago HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had announced that very soon direct-to-home (DTH) channels will be launched that will be used for dispersing educational information. The particulars of the initiative are now out.
3 DTH channels will be launched under the HRD ministry's 'Swayam Prabha', and will be operated by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). ‘Swayam Prabha’ will most likely be launched by PM Narendra Modi on August 15.
Each of these 3 channels will deal with secondary school, senior secondary school and teacher training respectively. "The contents for these channels have been specially designed and will include all learning material we provide to students," NIOS regional director (Patna) Sanjay Kumar Sinha said.
Sinha said that currently educational programmes were being telecast on certain channels but they cover the complete syllabus and had a limited telecast time of an hour or two. "Our channels will telecast quality educational programmes 24X7 and there will be fresh content for at least 4 hours every day," he said, adding that the channels will be free to air.
NIOS is currently catering to about 2 lakh students in Bihar through study and examination programmes through its 500 and odd study centres in the state.
NIOS regional centre's initiative of training untrained health workers (aka quacks) has also found many takers in Bihar. "Around 30,000 semi or untrained health workers were registered in the first batch and their exams will be held in the coming months. Besides theory and practical study material for them, we are also planning to rope in some noted city doctors to be part of our television and radio programmes to teach them regularly," he said, adding that other states had also written to him asking for implementation of this training programme there.
All the 3 channels will also feature special sign-language programmes for differently-abled students. The videos will include alphabets, basic words, adjectives, things around us etc displayed by sign language tutors.
It may be mentioned that under the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform 'Swayam Prabha', a slew of channels will be launched including 1 channel by the NCERT for Class IX and X, 4 by CBSE for physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology – all for Class XI and XII students and lastly 4 channels by IGNOU on different subjects.
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