PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education

The Human Resource Development Ministry has issued some guidelines concerning the digital education of the students of India. These guidelines are being called PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education. The entire set of guidelines is designed by the NCERT-National Council of Educational Research and Training. However, the Government's guidelines cannot be enforced as they are advisory.

PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education - Overview

Different state governments have the liberty to formulate their guidelines under the PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education based on the specific requirements of different states. PRAGYATA is an acronym where every alphabet stands for a different action, as listed below:

• P-Plan
• R-Review
• A-Arrange
• G-Guide
• Y-Yak (Talk)
• A-Assign
• T-Track
• A-Appreciate

PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education Need

Several reasons have pushed for the launch of such an initiative. Some of the reasons are -

Digital Access

• The pandemic has forced millions of students to opt-out of school as their families struggled to make ends meet.
• All of these students belong to different categories, and it is essential to segregate them into buckets to understand how well equipped they are for an education system driven by technology.
  • Students who either have smartphones or personal computers with internet connectivity
  • Students who have access to a phone but have limited or almost no access to the internet
  • Students who have a TV with a DTH or cable network
  • Students who have access to FM radio or a phone where they can play FM radio
  • Students who have none of the things stated above
• The emergence of digital classrooms as a new form of learning and not as a replacement for traditional systems of learning

Need for Survey

• There was a need to survey to understand the status of digital infrastructure in schools, the availability of teachers, the number of students and the level of involvement of parents in the students' lives.
• A survey for understanding the digital infrastructure present at the student's end

Duration

• There were restrictions on the number of hours for which students could study online
• 30 minutes of screen time was permitted for students who were in pre-school or kindergarten
• Online classes for 1.5 hours were allowed for students who were studying in classes 1 to 8
• A maximum of 3 hours of online education for students studying in classes 9 to 12

Learning

• With the emergence of digital learning, the possibility of both synchronous and asynchronous learning came into the picture.
• Schools conducted real-time classes online where students could interact with their teachers and gather any feedback that might help them get better.
• Several asynchronous learning methods came into the picture with live classes, like podcasts, radio classes, etc.

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PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education Objectives

• Support the use of digital assets and technologies to promote education and increase the reach of digital education
• Work on making digital technologies more accessible for all the learners
• Empower change agents to foster innovation and investment in digital learning and teaching technology

Under the PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education, the Government took several steps. It issued several guidelines that made sure that the education of the Indian students did not get affected because of the ongoing pandemic. Also, issues like Cyber Security were taken seriously to safeguard the students.

FAQs on PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education

Q.1. Which body released the PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education?

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has released the PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education.

Q.2. What is the main aim of the PRAGYATA Guidelines Digital Education?

The main aim of the PRAGYATA Guidelines Digital Education was to improve online education and the systems associated with it for the benefit of the students.

Q.3. When was the PRAGYATA Guidelines Digital Education guide released?

The PRAGYATA Guidelines Digital Education guide was released on the 14th of July, 2020.

Q.4. What was the allotted screen time for pre-primary students under the PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education?

The pre-primary students under the PRAGYATA Guidelines Digital Education were allowed a screen time of 30 minutes a day.

Q.5. What are the eight steps under the PRAGYATA Guidelines for Digital Education?

The eight steps under the PRAGYATA Guidelines Digital Education include planning, reviewing, arranging, guiding, yak (talk), assigning, tracking, and appreciating.