During the COVID-19 outbreak in the entire nation, the country is facing major crisis in every sector. And this time one of the worst hit sectors is the education sector, as most of the exams have been cancelled during the final assessments. To ensure that there is no hiatus in the education and students get full-access to classes, like before, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal advises students to carry on with their studies using the digital learning platforms. The digital learning portals help the students not only get full access to the study material but also allow them to engage in online classes and interact with the teachers like the physical classroom setting.
Here is a list of some excellent digital initiatives launched by Ministry of HRD for school students and even those seeking UG and PG level education. Find out which platforms best serves your needs and enroll for them now:
SHAGUN Online Junction
SHAGUN is an online junction under which the Department of School Education in the Government of India and all States and Union Territories (UTs) have launched several e-learning platforms. As the name suggests, 'Shagun' is coined from two different words i.e. 'Shala', meaning Schools and 'Gunvatta' meaning Quality. The primary aim of the SHAGUN initiative is to facilitate both teachers and students with a platform where they can interact, however through digital medium for further learning. There are 3 e-learning platforms which comes under the purview of SHAGUN:
- NREOE
- DIKSHA
- e-Pathshala
National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER)
With approximately 16000 registered users, and 14527 e-leanring resources, NROER is one of an excellent initiative launched by the Ministry of HRD. Students visiting NROR platform will get an exposure to e-libraries, e-books, e-courses, chance to participate in events online, and theme based education. Apart from this, students can access the website in both Hindi and English language.
Enroll for the NROER and start learning lessons that are taught in the classroom. In fact, there is a feature through which learning of students can be out to test through ‘assignments’ also. Constructive repository of 2779 documents, 1345 interactive, 1664 audios, 2586 images and 6153 videos on different languages is available for you to access. Do not miss out on this chance of self-learning.
Action Plan
Visit nroer.gov.in/welcome to gain access to NROER portal.
DIKSHA
The Ministry of HRD has launched National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers (DIKSHA) portal to equip teachers from 1st class to 12th class into the world of e-learning. The platform is available for both teachers and students requiring learning material. DIKSHA is one of a unique app that requires students and teachers to SCAN the QR code available in the book in order to access the prescribed learning material. With more than 80000 e-Books solely created to train and enhance the learning of Class 12th students, the aim of CBSE, NCERT and States or Union Territories is to ensure that the students do not miss out on learning in case they miss out on physical classroom learning. The portal is available in multiple languages for students.
Action Plan
Download DIKSHA app from Google Play and iOS Store
Website: diksha.gov.in
e-Pathshala
Through this web-portal, students from class 1st to 12th will be able to access no less than 1886 audios, 2000 videos, 696 e-books (e-Pubs) and 504 Flip Books. The digital repository has been made available by NCERT to make sure that the students do not miss out on any important concept to be taught in the class. E-Pathshala is also available in several language like the other digital platforms.
Action Plan
Visit epathshala.gov.in to access the study resources.
SWAYAM
An initiative of GoI for the students pursuing education from class 9th to 12th and also for the aspirants seeking undergraduate and post-graduate level degree, SWAYAM facilities study material at one destination. Students can access study material in the form of Video lectures, reading material, self-assessment tests, online discussions and doubt sessions.
The portal is connected to national coordinators such as AICTE, NCERT, IGNOU, UGC, NPTEL, NIOS, IIMB, NITTTR, and CEC for delivering updated and excellent quality content to the aspirants. Students registering for the courses at SWAYAM need not pay any fee as the course is free of cost, however to get the certification, registration is required for which a minimal fee has to be paid.
| S.no. | Level of Education | Partners |
| 1 | School Education | NIOS, NCERT |
| 2 | Out of School Education | IGNOU, NITTTR |
| 3 | Undergraduate Course | AICTE, CEC, NPTEL, IIM-B |
| 4 | Post Graduate Courses | UGC, AICTE, IIMB, NPTEL |
Action Plan
Visit swayam.gov.in/about and enroll for a course today to continue with your studies at a smooth pace.
Swayam Prabha
Swayam Prabha is a collection of 32 DTH channels which run 24x7 for the students. Everyday new content of atleast 4 hours duration is floated on the website which runs 5 times in a day. Top education bodies of the nation such as NPTEL, IITs, UGC, CEC, IGNOU, NCERT and NIOS provide content to INFLIBNET Centre which runs these channels. Students from class 1st to 12th and UG and PG level aspirants can get access the interactive learning through this medium. The programme schedule and other details are available at the portal.
Action Plan
Apply for the DD free Dish set top box and antenna. You can also drop a mail at swayamprabha@inflibnet.ac.in for further queries. Visit www.swayamprabha.gov.in
Other Platforms
There are several other platforms such as
National Academic Depository (NAD) run by UGC that has tie up with approximately 55 school boards, 359 state universities, 123 deemed universities, 47 central universities and 260 private universities.
National Digital Library of India run by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under its National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) to provide content to not just school students but also students pursuing higher education and Ph.D. level education.
Virtual Labs is another key initiative of MHRD and GoI under the mentorship of NMEICT. It is a consortium of 12 IITs which aim to disburser online classes and study resource through Virtual labs wherein 700+ virtual experiments are designed and promoted for the aspirants to study and understand.
There are numerous initiatives and program launched by GoI and MHRD for the aspirants. The digital world and e-learning are expanding its presence globally. Therefore, students are advised to make full use of these online resources especially during the COVID-19 outbreak to avoid any obstacles in the path of learning.