Alternative academic calendar for primary stage released to help students amid COVID-19 outbreak

New Delhi: Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has recently released an alternative academic calendar for the upper primary stage (Classes VI to VIII) here on April 16. The move is to engage students meaningfully during their stay at home due to an outbreak of COVID-19 through educational activities at home with the help of their parents and teachers, said an MHRD statement.

The NCERT has developed an alternative academic calendar for the primary and upper primary stage under the guidance of the MHRD. 
 
Speaking on the occasion, Pokhriyal said that this calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological tools and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled, interesting ways, which can be used by learners, parents, and teachers even while at home. 

"It has taken into account, the varying levels of access to such tools-Mobile, Radio, Television, SMS and various social media," he said, adding "it is a fact that many of us may not have internet facility in the mobile, or may not be able to use different social media tools- such as Whatsapp, Facebook, twitter, google etc., the calendar guides teachers to further guide parents and students through SMS on mobile phones or through voice call. Parents are expected to help elementary stage students to implement this calendar."
            
The Minister said that very soon all the remaining classes i.e., IX to XII and subject areas will be covered under this calendar. This calendar will cater to the need of all children including Divyang children  (Children with Special Need)- link for Audiobooks, Radio programmes, Video programme will be included.
 
The calendar contains a week-wise plan consisting of interesting and challenging activities, with reference to theme/chapter taken from syllabus or textbook. Most importantly, it maps the themes with the learning outcomes. The purpose of mapping of themes with learning outcomes is to facilitate teachers/parents to assess the progress in the learning of children and also to go beyond textbooks. The activities given in the calendar focus on learning outcomes and can thus be achieved through any resource including the textbooks children are using in their state or UT, said the statement. 
 
It also covers experiential learning activities such as Arts Education, Physical Exercises, yoga, pre-vocational skills, etc. This Calendar contains class-wise and subject-wise activities in tabular forms. This Calendar includes activities related to four languages as subject areas, i.e., Hindi English, Urdu, and Sanskrit. This calendar also gives space to the strategies of reducing stress and anxiety among teachers, students, and parents. The calendar includes a link for Chapter wise e-content available on the e-pathshala, NROER, and DIKSHA portal of GoI.
 
"All the given activities are suggestive in nature, not prescriptive, nor is the sequence mandatory. Teachers and parents may opt to contexualise the activities and do those activities that the student shows interest in, irrespective of the sequence," it said. 
          
NCERT has already started having live interactive sessions with students, parents and teachers through the TV channel Swayam Prabha (Kishore Manch) ( available through Free DTH channel 128, Dish TV Channel # 950, SunDirect #793, Jio TV, Tatasky #756, Airtel Channel #440, Videocon Channel # 477), 
 
Students can download Kishore Manch App from play store and Youtube live (NCERT Official Channel). Daily - Monday to Saturday these sessions are being telecast for primary classes from 11:00 am to 1;00 pm and for upper primary classes from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. 

This calendar would also be disseminated by conducting video conferencing with SCERTs/SIEs, Directorates of Education, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, CBSE, State School Education Boards, etc.