New academic year begins in Kerala, lessons go online via KITE Victers channel due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic

The new academic year will begin in Kerala on Monday (June 1) but this year it will be completely online using multiple virtual platforms due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

Around 45 lakh students in the state-run schools will start their learning as classes will begin through television and online platforms. The CBSE schools and colleges across Kerala will also begin their online classes on Monday.

The VICTERS Channel, which falls under the State General Education Department, will telecast learning sessions for classes 1 to 12. The sessions named First Bell will be from 8.30am to 5.30pm on week days. The state government has directed the class teachers to remain in touch with students on social media platforms or phone on a regular basis. The VICTERS Channel is made  available on all cable and direct-to-home television networks. The government has also decided to stream the classes online on YouTube and Samagra portel.

It may be recalled that the training for primary schoolteachers in Kerala started on May 14 via the KITE Victers channel and online mode.The training sessions were held daily at 10.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.

The first class was helmed by Minister for General Education C. Ravindranath on Thursday on the topic ‘Teacher in the classroom’. Ravindranath's class will be followed by a class on school safety during natural disasters and epidemics by Muralee Thummarukudy, chief of Disaster Risk Reduction, UN Environment Programme. 

The third class on hygiene, health, and disease prevention during COVID-19 was led by B. Ekbal, Mohammed Asheel, Amar Fettle, and Elizabeth.