The Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank held a live interaction with teachers on Thursday, May 14. He said the schools can introduce some key features like modified seating arrangements, change in timings and further division of the class into different sections in view of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the minister emphasised that the schools will be reopened only after the situation is normalised as health of the students is a major concern.

Meanwhile, the NCERT is also exploring a new system for reopening schools and the UGC is working on the modalities for thee higher educational institutes for the upcoming academic session, he stated.

The minister urged teachers and students to download the Aarogya Setu app to stay updated on the news related to coronavirus. He also urged teachers to contribute to digital learning for the Diksha portal. He said that so far, the Ministry has received over 9,000 contributions. He added that this lockdown should be looked at as an opportunity to strengthen the digital infrastructure.

The educational institutions have been shut since mid-March due to the lockdown due to COVID-19 and the teachers have been giving online classes to their students. The Minister asked teachers to continue with online learning through SWAYAM, SWAYAM Prabha, Diksha and other portals.

The UGC had earlier stated that the classes for enrolled students will begin in August and in September for the fresh batch of students.

Source: Indian Express

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