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32 DTH channels to impart education come September: Javadekar
HRD minister Javadekar announced the impending launch of 32 DTH educational channels which will cover diverse specialisations and academic levels. He also announced the soon to be launched SWAYAM Prabha which will telecast 4 hours of fresh content daily 6 times a day.
There are now scant chances that Gyan Darshan will be seen on television screens again, however, 32 Direct to Home (DTH) television channels are soon set to take its place and provide high quality educational content to all teachers, students and citizens across the country interested in lifelong learning.
These 32 channels maybe launched before September 2016. It is proposed that initially the programmes will be telecast in English and gradually programmes will be rolled out in regional languages.
Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar said in the Lok Sabha that the Government has approved a new project – the ‘SWAYAM Prabha.' Its main features will be curriculum based course contents across disciplines such as arts, science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and humanities subjects, engineering, technology, law, medicine, agriculture etc.
It is proposed that every day 4 hours of new content will be generated, which would be telecast 6 times a day allowing the student to choose the time of his/her convenience. It would cover all levels of education: School education, undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering, out of school children, vocational courses and teacher training.
Although, Gyan Darshan and Gyan Vani enjoyed popularity, they had been stopped on Doordarshan and AIR (All India Radio) respectively when the IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) failed to clear huge dues to the pubcaster for these channels.
IGNOU had earlier applied to WPC for a licence for running a television channel, but had been refused by the Department of Telecom on the grounds that only Doordarshan can apply for such a channel. DD in turn refused to apply on behalf of IGNOU considering the report by TRAI which bars allotment of licences to government bodies to start their own channels.