Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has written a letter to the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar and has requested the central government to give 12 hour air on national television and 2 hour radio slot to conduct educational programs for children which can reach tribal and rural Maharashtra kids where e-learning and internet access is a problem.
"Due to the COVID-19 crisis over the last 10 weeks, the schools across the country have been shut down and students are at home. The situation has pushed us to close the schools a month before the summer vacation and a more prolonged lockdown means that our students are at a huge risk of losing significant instructional time. Govt of Maharashtra along with SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) is figuring out different ways to support student learning in these difficult times, including promoting DIKSHA a source for learning via mobile devices," the Minister wrote in the letter.