School department clarifies on video lessons

Dimapur, Aug. 12 (EMN): Directorate of School Education has clarified its earlier notification vide No.ED/AEI-18/2020 dated, August 6, 2020, on making video lessons available which were telecast through Doordarshan during the month of May, June and July in pen drives.

It informed that all the video lessons have been made available for free access in its YouTube channel and Facebook page since May 1 and the same are also made available for free access through Jio TV with effect from August 10.

The department has made it clear that the pen drives would be issued to all the government schools free of cost, adding that no amount has been collected from them.

It informed that only those interested individuals/ private schools willing to have the pen drives loaded with video lessons other than free of cost access methods should buy the pen drives through the portal ‘https://dosenl.in.’ It added that they would pay only for the hardware and copying cost of the videos and no profit would be made out of it. The notification stated that it is not compulsory for any individual/ private school to buy the same.

The duration of the video lessons ranges from 6 hours to 35 hours per class and the capacity of pen drives are 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Accordingly, the cost has been fixed at INR 350, INR 480 and INR 850 respectively.

The department also informed that the decision to make the video lessons available in pen drives was taken after it received requests from various quarters about their inability to access the videos through internet due to connectivity issues, whereas PCs/ laptops are available in many villages/ wards with schools, churches or student bodies which could be used to access the videos for the benefit of students.

While acknowledging that all students would not own smart phones/ PCs/ laptops, the department stated that it should be a collective responsibility of everyone to help the students.

It further stated that the entire transaction was made in a ‘complete transparent manner’ and added that public are free to know about the details at any time.