PUDUCHERRY: At a time when schools are closed following the COVID-19 lockdown and students need to prepare for their board exams, the school education department in Puducherry has initiated online education for Class X students through WhatsApp, YouTube and cable TV networks.
A virtual control room has been created for clarification of students' doubts through WhatsApp messages or calls, Director of School Education P T Rudra Goud said. Expert teachers of all subjects including Tamil, English, Maths, Physical Science, Biological Science and Social Science can be contacted on their WhatsApp numbers from 6 a.m to 10 p.m. The students can interact through text messages, voice or video calls.
L Shakila (Tamil) – 9866728352, M Joancy (English) -9944198425, M Tamiz (Maths) – 7200918139, S Rajkumar (Physical Science ) – 9994203828, R Devika (Biological Science) – 8015423235 and P Vanathy (Social Science ) – 9994196886 can be contacted by the students.
The students can also take study lessons from the Directorate of School Education Puducherry’s YouTube channel. Teachers have posted several lessons on the channel, said Rudra Goud.
Considering that many students may not have access to internet, study lessons are also are being aired through cable networks. A private channel is telecasting pre-recorded videos, following which students interact with the teachers through phone.
The response has been good and students are utilizing the opportunities provided by the department, he added.
The department has also planned for future online education using ICT tools. The Directorate of School Education in collaboration with Pondicherry Engineering college and Atal Incubation Centre conducted a webinar on “how to conduct online classes to students”.
As many as 3660 teachers participated in this online training, Rudra Goud said in a release here. The teachers would be provided with certificates, he said, adding that this will help the students to get in touch with the teachers online during holidays and learn their lessons.