During the pandemic act of 2020, schools were closed, prompting the government to launch Kerala digital education initiatives, which includes a clear plan that provides students with significant support during unexpected breaks. The state government keeps on helping students to stay connected with their learning even when classrooms are closed.
Under Kerala’s digital education initiatives, the government during the pandemic time introduced a digital class learning program, which is called First Bell, launched on June 1. These classes were shown on the VICTERS Education channel, but it is not a substitute for school days. But the goal of this initiative is to keep students engaged with their studies even during breaks.
Kerala’s Digital Education Initiatives
The government came up with Kerala’s digital education initiatives, so that all students could study, regardless of remote or underprivileged backgrounds. These sessions were on the VICTERS site, YouTube, and Facebook so students could catch up later or download them if they missed the live broadcast.
During Kerala’s digital education initiative, the supporting teachers, specifically 81000 primary teachers, were trained. They utilized the SAMGRA portal and digital tech tools to access learning content. For seamless teaching, mentoring will be given via social media, video calls, and help desks.
Digital Education Initiatives Overview
| Department Name | Kerala Department of General Education |
| Flagship Program | First Bell (Kerala’s Digital Education Initiatives) |
| Applicable In | Kerala, India |
| Launch Date | June 1, 2020 |
| Free or Paid | Free |
| Daily Class Time | From 30 minutes to 2 hours per day |
| Vocational Subjects | 52 vocational subjects integrated |
| Access Platforms | VICTERS Channel, VICTERS Website, YouTube |
| Books | QR-coded digital textbooks via DIKSHA |
| Category | Schemes |
| Official Website | https://kite.kerala.gov.in/ |
Building a Future-Ready Education System in Kerala
Kerala’s education system is well equipped with the training facilities and incredible tools so that they can support digital learning. This helped to ensure that the students got the remote learning even when the schools were shut down:
- The high-tech school program in which thousands of classroom students already get the advantage with the digital learning.
- There were 45,000 classrooms across the 4,752 schools that were trained with the help of digital content prepared by KITE and SCERT.
- There were over 81,000 primary teachers under the First Bell initiative who got the online ICT training by utilizing the digital setups.
- Under this program the digital textbooks and teacher guides were aired under the VICTERS channels as well as online programs.
- QR-coded textbooks under the initiative of DIKSHA are provided to the students so that they will have access to interactive videos and digital learning.
Daily Broadcast Time for Kerala’s Online Learning Program
Kerala created the subject-based content so that they could promote remote learning for each grade, and below is the fixed duration schedule for broadcast:
| Class Level | Daily Broadcast Duration |
|---|---|
| Classes 1 to 7 | 30 minutes |
| Class 8 | 1 hour |
| Class 9 | 1 hour |
| SSLC (class 10) | 1.5 hours |
| Plus, Two (Class 12) | 2 hours |
Students Monitoring and Evaluation
To ensure that online learning is fair to all students, Kerala developed strong monitoring systems to track learners’ progress:
- Teachers gather the input and feedback from the students along with their parents so that they can review and share their work.
- Subject-wise groups were curated on the social media platforms that will be accessible to both parents and students to stay connected digitally.
- It was advisable that the students, especially those who are younger, must watch the online sessions with an adult or elder.
- Worksheets, along with other tools, are being used to measure the progress of the students, and help is provided to those who require additional support.
- Teachers regularly contact parents to understand the issues and discuss solutions.
Kerala Made Online Classes Easy for Everyone
When the learning education program was started by the Kerala government, the students couldn’t join the classes because they didn’t have the phones or internet. The local groups and schools teamed up with clubs and libraries and ensured that they would be shared learning centers for the students.
The First Bell classes became popular, as they could be watched by lakhs of people. The inclusive efforts were made so that the program is available in different languages, such as Tamil and Kannada. Even for the disabled students, the unique video lessons were provided online, along with teachers’ home visits to ensure that the learning would not stop.
Kerala’s Ongoing Support for Online Learning
Kerala State has successfully provided digital education to students so that they cannot miss out on their learning and keep pace with their studies. The First Bell program has been widely accepted, even globally.
Not only this, but the special teaching program also rolls out for the disabled students via the White Board initiative. These major steps showcase Kerala’s commitment to making digital education more inclusive and accessible.
FAQs
Which are the incredible platforms that are used for students to access online classes?
VICTERS channel and YouTube were available so that students can access them anytime.
How does Kerala ensure that the disabled students can also avail themselves of the advantage of online learning?
Kerala comes within the initiative of the White Board to support students with special needs.
How many vocational subjects are incorporated into online learning?
There are about 52 vocational subjects that were taught.
