Chapter 6: Bridging the Digital Divide

Introduction

• In Jammu and Kashmir, there are 200 educational zones where students can attend school.
• However, the COVID epidemic forced the J&K education system to abruptly close down in 2020, and the face-to-face form of instruction was switched to an online mode.
• In order to ensure educational continuity, the government was compelled by the closure of educational institutions to launch a number of digital initiatives.

Efforts by the government to ensure continuity in the learning

• The Directorate of School Education Department Jammu launched a scheme called "Directorate of School Education Jammu Home Classes" in order to make sure that kids kept going to school during the pandemic.
• Digital tools like Google Meet, Zoom, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram were used to carry out the project. A Google form was created and shared with the faculty to ask them to participate in the home lectures.
• Also, the department launched the "DSE Jammu Home Courses" YouTube channel to speed up the teaching and learning process.
• Also, local cable networks and radio stations broadcast the recorded and broadcast versions of the video lectures.
• Students were given weekly assignments as part of the "DSEJ's Home Assignment," which actively engaged the pupils during the pandemic.

Important Initiatives

• The Directorate of School Education Jammu's IT division created the SARAL Android App, which stands for Students Accessible Resource and Learning Application.
• The app was created using the "All-in-One" idea, which links students to digital content on numerous educational portals like DIKSHA, e-Pathshala, Swayam, e-VidyaDaan, and Swayam Prabha.
• Tracking & Monitoring System for "Aadharshila" Schools: The Directorate of School Education, Jammu, created the web-based Aadharshila system.
• The system's goals include digitising all of Jammu's government schools and monitoring and tracking the facilities, faculty, and their level of subject-matter competence.
• This information aids in the identification of a number of indicators, including the teacher-student ratio, category-specific student information, scholarship information, and information about students without Aadhaar.
• Samadhan: Samadhan is an online system for resolving complaints that attempts to improve school education delivery and transparency.
• The National Informatics Center and DSE built the system (NIC).
• Parents, students, and teachers can air their complaints on the platform.
• J&K Education Hub: The academic digital content created by instructors at government schools is housed on a web-based platform called J&K Education Hub.
• The portal features a section dedicated to highlighting the successes of instructors and students.

In Conclusion

• the government of Jammu and Kashmir is implementing ground-breaking digital efforts to strengthen and increase the transparency of the educational system.

With the use of information and communication technology, several transformational projects in the education sector have been carried out to improve teaching and learning and to make life easier for students.