NCERT develops bridge course modules for out-of-school children

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed bridge course modules for out-of-school children, which include various activities that are helpful in bridging learning gaps, in order to address issues related to shortfalls or loss of learning among students during and after the lockdown.

The various states were also asked to create and implement the School Readiness Module Bridge Course in classrooms for the initial one or two months for each grade. Minister of State for Education Annpurna Devi provided the information in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Monday. NCERT has also prepared an ‘Alternative Academic Calendar,’ which is a week-by-week learning plan for grades 1 to 12.

“The spread of Covid-19 pandemic has impacted school education across the world. Schools in States and Union Territories were closed as a precautionary measure to protect the students fromthe coronavirus,” she said.

COVID-19, she says, has disrupted pupils’ learning from pre-school to grade 12. Education is on the Constitution’s concurrent list, and the majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of state and local governments. She noted that the Ministry of Education held multiple consultations with states and UTs during the pandemic to analyse the various components of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Alternative Academic Calendar is a collection of fun activities and challenges based on the syllabus’s topics and themes. It connects topics and themes to learning outcomes, making it easier for teachers and parents to measure students’ progress in a variety of ways. Also, links for e-resources have been provided for those learners who have access to the internet.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) will also start a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy called ‘National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)’ on July 5, 2021, under the aegis of Samagra Shiksha, according to the minister.

The National Mission establishes goals and action plans for states to meet the goal of every child being proficient in foundational literacy and numeracy by third grade. For pupils in class 1, the Vidya Pravesh module has been launched. This play is based on a three-month school readiness programme for children entering Class I.

In addition, the ministry of education has launched PM eVIDYA, a comprehensive initiative that unites all activities connected to digital, online, and on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education.

Source: IANS