Union HRD Minister releases Alternative Academic Calendar

It is to engage students meaningfully during their stay at home due to COVID-19

• Ministry of Human Resources and Development has released an alternative
  academic calendar for the primary and upper primary classes, that is till Class VIII
• It is to engage students meaningfully during their stay at home due to COVID-19
  through educational activities at home with the help of their parents and teachers
• The alternative academic calendars at primary and upper primary stage (Classes VI
  to VIII) have been developed by the NCERT under the guidance of the MHRD

Key features of the Alternative Academic Calendar

• Calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological tools
  and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled, interesting ways,
  which can be used by learner, parents and teachers even while at home
• However, it has taken into account, the varying levels of access to such toolsMobile, Radio, Television, SMS and various social media
• The calendar guides teachers to further guide parents and students through SMS
  on mobile phones or through voice call
• Parents are expected to help elementary stage students to implement this Calendar

Further improvement and enhancement

• Very soon all the remaining classes i.e., IX to XII and subject areas will be covered
  under this calendar
• This calendar will cater to the need of all children including Divyang
  children (Children with Special Need)- link for Audio books, Radio programs, Video
  program will be included
• The calendar contains week-wise plan consisting of interesting and challenging
  activities, with reference to theme or chapter taken from syllabus or textbook. Most
  importantly, it maps the themes with the learning outcomes
• The purpose of mapping of themes with learning outcomes is to facilitate teachers
  or parents to assess the progress in the learning of children and also to go beyond
  textbooks
• The activities given in the calendar focus on learning outcomes and can thus be
  achieved through any resource including the textbooks children are using in their
  state or UT

Coverage of the Alternative Calendar

• It also covers experiential learning activities such as Arts Education, Physical
  Exercises, yoga, pre-vocational skills, etc
• This Calendar contains class-wise and subject-wise activities in tabular forms
• This Calendar includes activities related to four languages as subject areas, i.e.,
  Hindi English, Urdu and Sanskrit
• This calendar also gives space to the strategies of reducing stress and anxiety
  among teachers, students and parents
• Calendar includes link for Chapter wise e-content available on the e-pathshala,
  NROER and DIKSHA portal of GoI
• All the given activities are suggestive in nature, not prescriptive, nor is the
  sequence mandatory
• Teachers and parents may opt to contexualise the activities and do those activities
  that the student shows interest in, irrespective of the sequence
• NCERT has already started having live interactive sessions with students, parents
  and teachers through the TV channel Swayam Prabha

Pic courtesy : tehelka.com