[Accessibility to online classes] Fall back on older technology, start dedicated TV channel for education: Bombay High Court to Central govt

The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the Central government to consider having a dedicated television channel and radio programmes for students (including specially abled students) who do not have access to online education and are deprived of education in pandemic (National Association for Blind v. Union of India & Ors.).The Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the National Association for the Blind (NAB) seeking reliefs pertaining to access of education for visually impaired students during the pandemic..A Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni said that many rural regions suffer from connectivity issues. Students may not have smart phones to attend online classes online but those households have television and radio sets, so the government can fall back on the older technology to ensure that those students do not lose out on the academic curriculum, the Court suggested to the Ministry of Information & Technology. ."We have Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha channels. In the future, the judiciary may also start livestream hearings. Why cannot we have a channel for education?" the Court mused.There are hundreds of channels for movies and entertainment, not one for education, the Bench added."We cannot have only colleges, schools. People in rural areas might not have funds to buy smartphones, but they need to get access to education, especially during a pandemic," the Bench further said..In light of these remarks, the Court asked the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to consider having a "full-fledged dedicated television channel" to cater to every student who suffers due to network connectivity issues. They sought a response from the Ministry by August 5, 2021..Advocate Uday Warunjikar for NAB apprised the Court that many schools in the State, especially in the rural areas, don't have proper infrastructure for online education. The PIL, he stated, raised the apprehension on behalf of students and parents regarding possible loss of an entire academic year due to lack of access to online classes. Therefore, the government is required to cater to their requirements at the earliest, he said..Warunjikar stated that "out of over 900 schools in Maharashtra for specially abled students nearly 200 schools cater to visually impaired students". Most of them did not possess sufficient infrastructure to provide the online education, he highlighted. Though the State had started lectures through DD Sahyadri channel for students, those however, could not cater to the specially abled students, Warunjikar argued. .When the Court queried how education was imparted to all other students from rural areas of Maharashtra, the Assistant Government Pleader Reena Salunkhe responded they use online apps like Google Meet and Zoom. "When I visit Nagpur or Aurangabad, I do not get a mobile network at times. As Chief Justice, if I do not get a network, you expect the rural population to get the same?" CJ Datta quipped.The Court then suggested the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to speak with the MIB to consider a dedicated education channel for all students during pandemic. He also asked the Centre to explore imparting education through Doordarshan and Akashvani. .NCERT was also asked to submit its feedback on the Court's suggestion by August 5.The Bench clarified that authorities should not wait for Court's order to implement their decision on the issue, in the event, they reach a decision before the next hearing.