Universities & colleges hardly prepared for online education in Bihar

PATNA: Even as the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) on Sunday launched an online survey on the preparedness of higher education institutions to undertake online education, universities and colleges in Bihar have hardly anything substantial to offer their claim.
However, in response to the AIU’s initiative, they have started working out the details of their requirements for proper implementation of online education for their students. The last date for submission of a response regarding the survey is August 15.
In a letter addressed to the vice-chancellors, the AIU has observed that many institutions are facing issues relating to infrastructures in terms of continuous supply of electricity, availability of devices to the students, networking and bandwidth, capacity building of teachers to teach online and for students to learn online. The survey would also include the assessment of problems relating to online assessment and evaluation of the students, online internships and placements, collaborations and counselling of students.
Welcoming the AIU’s initiative in the context of NPE 2020, Munger University vice-chancellor Ranjit Kumar Verma said for proper dissemination of online education, every college must plan for at least four smart classrooms with such features as interactive white boards, LED/LCD panels and digital podiums besides the usual projectors, speakers and wireless microphones. Besides, every college must have trained and permanent IT personnel along with good internet connectivity, if optimal utilization has to be ensured, he said.
Verma further observed that each university must have its own educational multimedia research centre (EMMRC) and a foolproof system to provide necessary resources to colleges. Digital collaboration is now a necessity, he added.
Patna University computer centre chief K P Singh said the university must have a ‘learning management system’ software along with high-speed internet connectivity for introducing online education to its students. And, more importantly, all the teachers of the university must be well-trained in utilization of technological devices and also in the conduct of online classes, he said.
Singh further pointed out that all the PG departments and colleges must have e-library and e-books and uninterrupted supply of electricity and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Patna Science College physics teacher and PU central library’s assistant director Ashok Kumar Jha felt the dire need of making university teachers and students computer literate before introducing online education. He said all the postgraduate departments of PU were provided with smart classes during PU’s centenary celebrations a couple of years ago, but they are yet to be utilized by the faculty members. Strangely enough, some departments have not even installed smart classes as yet, he said.
The NPE also envisages rigorous training to the teachers to use online teaching platforms and tools and become high-quality online content creators, Jha added.