HRD, Prasar to start 50 education channels by May next year

Students across the country will be able to hear lectures and interact with academicians on TV as the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry and public broadcaster Prasar Bharati are planning to start 50 educational channels by May 1 next year.
HRD officials said under this project, which to their knowledge had no parallel across the world, the number of channels would be increased from 50 to 1,000 and has the potential to be viewed on 167 million TV sets and benefiting a population of more than 67 per cent in the country.
As per an agreement signed by Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar and HRD secretary Ashok Thakur today, while the public broadcaster will provide expertise in carrying the channels on a DTH platform, the ministry would focus on providing content of the programmes.

The channels will run structured programmes the content of which will originate from institutions like IITs, IGNOU, State Open Universities, Central Universities, NITs. Each channel shall deliver mostly live telecasts, 9 hours a day, which will be repeated in the next 15 hours, HRD officials said.
The channels will carry curriculum based content in almost all subjects being taught in universities and colleges. The would also be available on the internet. The channels will carry a Doordarshan logo and viewers will have to buy a Set Top Box to view them, officials said.
Officials said that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had in 2009 approved 'National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology' or (NME-ICT) under which the launch of 1000 educational channels had been envisaged.

Prasar Bharati CEO Sircar told reporters that the broadcaster was open to partner ministries, departments and organisations for programmes which come under the domain of public service broadcasting. He said Prasar Bharati was not eyeing profits by launching these channels but hoped that the DTH platform would help increase its reach.