Goa begins digitising textbooks for Grade I to VIII students
Teacher-led videos for all subjects will be uploaded to the national DIKSHA platform to supplement classroom teaching.
The Goa State Council for Educational Research and Training (GSCERT) has started filming video lessons for students from Grade I to VIII, according to reports by Urban Acres and The Times of India. These videos will cover all subjects and will be uploaded to the DIKSHA platform, a national digital tool for school education launched by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in 2017.
To facilitate this, GSCERT has expanded its facilities by adding two studios. The project will also utilise two additional studios from the directorate of higher education, providing a total of four production spaces. GSCERT director Meghana Shetgaonkar said filming has already commenced.
Shetgaonkar stated that the state has finished introducing new textbooks for Grades I to VIII that align with the National Education Policy (NEP). These revised books include new content and local topics. She noted that the availability of dedicated studios will allow the revised content to be converted into videos in a more structured manner.
The digital material is intended to serve as a reference to support classroom teaching rather than replace it. Shetgaonkar mentioned that the department identified previous issues with the accessibility of online material and aims to resolve these problems during this exercise. Central government funds are available for the project.
The initiative follows earlier digital work by the directorate of higher education. While explanatory videos exist for CBSE and ICSE students, digital content for Goa Board schools was only partially developed during the pandemic. GSCERT also continues regular taluka-level interactions with teachers and parents to address concerns regarding NEP implementation.