ISRO gives nod to parliamentary panel to help set up satellite TV classrooms

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has given its nod to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education to provide technical assistance for setting up satellite TV classrooms in the country. This initiative is being undertaken in order to bridge the gap in learning created due to the COVID-19 induced lockdowns.

Appearing before the committee on Friday, ISRO scientists made a detailed presentation about the proposed satellite TV classrooms for students. "Scientists from ISRO attended the meeting today and made a presentation about the use of satellite TV classrooms for the students before the officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and Doordarshan," sources told ANI.

ISRO has stated that it's ready to provide satellite rights to states in order to set up the proposed TV classrooms. However, it had asked the committee if the "states will be willing to use the technology.".

Earlier in June, the parliamentary panel led by Vinay Sahastrabuddhe had approached ISRO scientists wanting them to provide technical assistants to set up satellite TV classrooms for students who had reported a learning gap in the school syllabus created due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns.

Among the attendees of the panel meeting were education secretaries and senior officials of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are planning to reopen schools for students of Class 10 upwards in the coming days, Parliament sources told the agency. For the reopening of the schools, the states have prepared an SOP. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar informed the panel about these plans during the meeting on Friday.

The panel discussed the establishment of satellite TV classrooms that will broadcast school-based educational programmes. It added that students can take advantage of these in cluster classrooms. This will also resolve the issue of smartphone availability and data connectivity, especially in rural areas, according to the panel.

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