The Ministry of Human Resource Development released the PRAGYATA guidelines on Digital Education, with an aim to improve online education and ensure the safety and academic welfare of the students.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, released the eight-step guide on online education on July 14, 2020, which is, Plan- Review- Arrange- Guide- Yak(talk)- Assign- Track- Appreciate (PRAGYATA).
This is an important topic for candidates preparing for the upcoming IAS exam and various other government exams. In this article, we shall discuss in detail the different guidelines released and their importance, considering the future of digital education.Â
PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here
| Test how prepared you are for the upcoming IAS Exam with the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers!! Also, refer to the links below for CSE preparation: |
About PRAGYATA Guidelines
- The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected schools and children across the globe. In India alone, over 240 million children have had to face a negative impact of the pandemic in terms of education
- To overcome the loses faced by schools or the children, the Government of India had initiated the Digital India campaign for a conducive environment for moving towards digital education
- PRAGYATA guidelines have been issued keeping in mind the overall development of the students with an aim to cut down undue screen time
- The guidelines will be relevant and useful for a diverse set of stakeholders including school heads, teachers, parents, teacher educators and students. The guidelines stress upon the use of an alternative academic calendar of NCERT, for both, learners having access to digital devices and learners having limited or no access
- The duration of classes as per the PRAGYATA guidelines are as follows:
| Division | Screen Time for students |
| Pre-Primary Students | Not more than 30 minutes a day |
| Classes 1st to 8th | Not more than 2 online sessions per day, 30 to 45 minutes each as decided by states/UTs |
| Class 9th to 12th | Maximum four sessions per day, 30 to 45 minutes each as decided by states/UTs |
PRAGYATA – Steps for Digital and Online Education
The PRAGYATA guidelines include eight steps of digital learning. These steps guide the planning and implementation of digital education step by step. Discussed below are the same:
- Plan – For a better face-to-face teaching experience, planning is extremely important. This planning must be done considering a few common factors:
- Number of students in each class
- Age and class of children
- Learning styles of children
- Nature of subject
- Accessibility of digital devices with children, teachers, schools and all other resources
- Duration of classes
- Types of assignment and assessment
- Review – Identification and availability of tools and resources required for conducting online classes. This also includes reviewing the plan in terms of the duration of each class, cybersecurity, methods of assessment, etc.
- Arrange – Collecting all the resources and arrangement and organisation of daily/weekly classes
- Guide – Keeping everyone involved well informed is very important. Thus, the school must guide the teachers and they must further guide the students/parents about the themes, topics, assessments, etc.
- Yak (Talk) – During guidance, teachers must talk or discuss things clearly with the parents and their wardsÂ
- Assign – Assigning group activities or individual assignments, depending upon the technological tools available with the children
- Track – To ensure that the students do not lose interest in studying virtually, teachers must track their development and assignments through suitable means
- Appreciate – Motivating children for their performance boosts their confidence and also builds interest in the work they are doing. So, teachers must praise the students to ensure that online education does not become demotivating
UPSC aspirants can also refer to the following links for exam preparation:
| Evolution Of India’s Education Policy | Global Teacher Prize |
| Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) | Right to Education (RTE) Act |
| Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) | School Education Quality Index (SEQI) |
Guidelines for School Heads, Teachers, Parents and Students
A set of specific guidelines have also been released for school heads, teachers, parents and students under the PRAGYATA guidelines:
- Need assessment
- Concerns while planning online and digital education like duration, screen time, inclusiveness, balanced online and offline activities etc level-wise
- Modalities of intervention including resource curation, level-wise delivery etc.
- Physical, mental health and wellbeing during digital education
- Cyber safety and ethical practices including precautions and measures for maintaining cyber safety
- Collaboration and convergence with various initiatives
Digital Education in India
Digital Education is a technique or method of learning which involves technology and digital devices. This is a new and broad technical sphere that shall help any student attain knowledge and gain information from any corner across the country. It is believed that Digital Education in India is the future of education and learning.
Various other initiatives have also been taken under the PM e-Vidya initiative. These include:
- DIKSHA – National Teachers Platform For School Education (one nation – one digital platform)
- TV (one class-one channel)
- SWAYAM
- IITPAL (platform for exam preparation)
To know in detail about Digital Education in India, candidates can visit the linked article.
PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here
Aspirants can also check the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the upcoming Civil Services Exam at the linked article.Â
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