From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 26: Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa has urged the Higher Education Department to give more importance to online teaching in the higher education courses to ensure that the syllabus was completed and so that the students were not put through hardships while facing the examinations.
Reviewing the performance and progress of the State’s Higher Education Department in Bengaluru on Tuesday, he said the cost of conducting classes online was much less and economical for the students and the educational institutions.
Yediyurappa advised the Higher Education Department officials to examine the introduction of online teaching modules from the pre-university stage itself so as to prepare the students in their professional education.
As most of the colleges and professional educational institutions had completed 79 per cent of the syllabus prior to the imposition of the lockdown on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, he suggested that the pending portion of the studies must be completed through online teaching by May 31.
As many as 30,000 online classes were conducted through Webex, Skype and other online platforms. Nearly 85 per cent of the students have been supplied with e-notes, PPT and old question papers through applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram. In addition, 7,074 teaching videos pertaining to 65 aspects had been provided to the students through Jnana Nidhi channel on YouTube which has received over 5 lac views, the chief minister was informed at the meeting.
The Higher Education Department officials informed Yediyurappa that 13,600 students have become subscribers to YouTube teaching and the Department has reached out to over 2 lac students through GetCETgo app and 90,000 logins have been created so far.
The web portal has already secured a 4-star rating and efforts are being made to maintain higher standards. The web portal has handled over 10,000 calls and addressed the problems of the students, as per the information presented in the meeting.
The CM said the online teaching system will commence with students studying in government colleges being provided with free laptops from the current academic year.
The deputy chief minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said the State Government was implementing the comprehensive maintenance system from the e-administration department at a cost of Rs 11 lac across all universities and colleges.
He said digital and online teaching were being given more emphasis on account of the COVID-19 situation and the Maithri helpline portal had proved to be very useful for both the students and teachers.
The Higher Education Department was adhering to the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines and all the programmes for the current academic year would be completed by June 15.
He indicated that the annual summer holidays would be curtailed this year on account of the closure due to the continuous lockdown.
Dr Ashwath Narayan said as many as 13 assembly constituencies did not have government colleges and steps were being taken to shift 6 first grade colleges from the assembly constituencies having more than one government college shortly.
The construction work of the Baba Saheb School of Economics building in Bengaluru had been completed, the deputy chief minister said and indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was likely to be invited to inaugurate the building after the lockdown relaxation.
He said Youth Empowerment Centres were being established to help provide comprehensive data assistance to the youth through online portals. Students would be enrolled in the centres from the high school level itself so that it would be easy to identify and assist students staying out of the schools and colleges, he mentioned.
The Youth Empowerment Centres would contact industries to provide internships to eligible candidates so as to create employment opportunities.
The chief secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar, chief minister’s advisor M Lakshminaryan, principal secretary of the Finance Department, ISN Prasad, Higher Education Department principal secretary Dr EV Ramana Reddy, Collegiate Education commissioner Pradeep were among the officials who attended the review meeting.
Review of Revenue Department:
Later, the CM held a review meeting of the State Revenue Department and urged the officers to take steps to stop pilferage and meet the resource mobilization targets for the year.
Revenue minister R Ashok, muzrai minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLA R Vishwanath, chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, Finance Department principal secretary ISN Prasad and chief minister’s principal secretary Ravi Kumar were present at the meeting.
The Town Cooperative Bank and Milk Producers Cooperative Society of Hoskote presented a cheque for Rs 5.85 lac to the CM's Relief Fund by calling on chief minister B S Yediyurappa at his Home Office, Krishna.
Former minister MTB Nagaraj and Hoskote Town Cooperative Bank president P Krishnappa were present.