New Delhi: Buoyed by the success of edtech platforms, the Delhi government has now joined the bandwagon of reeling in students into virtual classrooms.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched this ‘Delhi Model Virtual School’ — touted as the “first of its kind”. The virtual institution will function from an actual brick-and-mortar school – the Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Lajpat Nagar.
As per claims made by the Delhi government this is the first time a public school with an accessible fee will offer children the opportunity to get quality education via the online medium, the Delhi government said.
However the national institute of open studies in a press statement issued wednesday evening denied this claim by the state government and said, “On 14th August 2021 the Virtual Open School of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) was launched by Education Ministry. It is based on the approach of blended learning and so far 2,11,394 students have been certified since launch of Virtual Open School”
The school is affiliated with the newly-launched Delhi Board of School Education and students from all over the country will be eligible for admission. It also has acollaboration with the International Baccalaureate board for its course content.
To start with, the school will admit 200 students and will scale up later.
The Aam Aadmi Party government has been working on the school for almost a year, officials said. Inaugurating the school, Kejriwal said, “Taking lessons from virtual classes that were held during the pandemic, we are launching a virtual school to bring neglected children into mainstream education.”
He added, “The school aims to help girl students deprived of education, children who have dropped out or those who cannot physically attend school.”
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had announced the virtual school in his Budget speech in March 2021. He had said it would be for people who wanted to “benefit from the Delhi model of education”
Admission process
At the moment, admissions are being accepted for grades nine to twelve.
According to a circular issued by the Directorate of Education, the admission process for Class 9 would involve three steps – one, filing the online application form; two, document verification; and three, online examination along with counseling.
Students between the age of 13 and 15 years, with a Class 8 completition certificate from any school in the country, can apply.
Kejriwal said, “These schools will not only provide conventional education in an online format but also provide skill-based learning to students who want to pursue a profession simultaneously. This school will also provide preparatory classes for competitive exams like CUET, NEET, JEE etc.”
About the school
The platform will not only offer online sessions, but students can also ask questions and have them answered through special sessions. There will also be guest lectures by professionals and sessions on skill building.
The school’s website says education would be imparted by qualified teachers, and even through regional languages.
The school will have teachers participate in Online Teaching Methodologies (OTM), focus on teaching strategies for building community, facilitate meaningful discussions, and provide insightful feedback online.
As per the website, the admission fee for the four-hour morning session and afternoon session is Rs 1,000 rupees. The school is yet to release its fee structure.
The platform developed by Google and Schoolnet India will issue registration IDs to students which they can use to access online classes, the digital library and recorded lectures.
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