Published: 14th Sep, 2023
Context
Under the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR), the Ministry of Education is pushing States to open VidyaSamikshaKendras (VSKs).
About
About the initiative:
- VidyaSamikshaKendras or VSKs refer to a central system at the State level for tracking and monitoring data related to student enrolment, learning outcomes, and various government schemes and projects for facilitating education services.
- The NDEAR compliant VidyaSamiksha Kendra (VSK) is an open-source platform run on C-Qube software to collect data from all schemes run by the Ministry of Education (MoE).
- Some of the key data portals that currently form a part of the Central level NDEAR VSK include UDISE, DIKSHA, National Achievement Survey, NIPUN BHARAT, Performance Grading Index, PM-POSHAN mid-day meal programme, etc.
- Implementation: ‘EkStep Foundation’, a non-profit organisation is on board in an advisory role for implementing the VSK project.
- Fund allocation: The Centre has allocated funds ranging from 2 to Rs. 5 crore to each State for adopting and establishing VSKs that include pre-configured open-source hardware and software as well as hiring human resources.
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States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jharkhand have already begun the process of setting up the tech platform. |
What is the need of such an initiative?
- Currently the data are fed on the platform manually, and available in downloadable Excel format for anyone to access and use, to visualise and analyse trends.
- VSK will shift from manual mode to automatic mode once the Application Programming Interface (API) integration process is complete.
- Significance: The idea of developing VSKs is allow mapping of the school location layer with the population layer to assess the Gross Access Ratio, which can help plan for new schools, or for industry clusters to understand skilling requirements of the area, and help plan higher educational institutions based on demand and future scenarios.
National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR):
- National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) was launched in 2021.
- It is an architectural blueprint for the educational ecosystem in the country that defines a set of principles, standards and specifications, guidelines and policies to strengthen the digital infrastructure for education.
- It is under the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- Under this, the government will not be building technology solutions for the education sector but will act as an enabler, offering a framework wherein technology can be developed and built by anyone.
- NDEAR is not a centrally-controlled framework and it is inherently federated to ensure the autonomy of all stakeholders including the states.
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