Know About Kite Victers Kerala’s online learning channel
Kerala's education system was seriously challenged with the closure of schools during the pandemic. However, the education system responded quickly by adapting and KITE Victers—Kerala's first edutainment channel, in the medium of Malayalam, was launched as a way to conduct virtual classes. The channel is operated by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), an organisation under the State General Education Department. KITE Victers first went to air every day from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday, delivering classes to children and students, while launching the 2020-21 academic year most unusually.
Victers, which means Versatile ICT Enabled Resource for Students, is currently streaming lessons approved and designed by the SCERT, Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK), and the State Institute of Educational Technology. Learners can access their lessons live through cable television, the Victers website, Facebook and YouTube. The flagship program for Victers is called First Bell, which offers classes for students in grades 1-12, minus Class 11, and is streamed. Daily timetables are outlined online each day in advance.
Increasing Accessibility and Advancements
The Kerala Government has implemented a timely and effective strategy to enable all children in the state- even in the tribal areas - to obtain resources, and a commitment to generating content in tribal dialects is also planned. KITE was formed in 2001-02 to lead educational environments with ICT-based education for 15,000 schools. In 2005, sitting CTOs made history by commencing the mandatory provision of IT subject for Class 10 students and establishing Victers channel as India's first fully educational television channel.
KITE also has the 'Little KITEs IT Clubs', which have provided training for over one lakh students in animation, robotics, artificial intelligence, cyber safety, and hardware. The ICT initiative signifies Kerala's clear ability to demonstrate digital literacy education to school children.
Barriers for Online Learning
Nonetheless, the transition to the mode of delivery brought forward barriers. The limitations of poor internet connectivity, lack of devices, lack of interactivity and difficulty with transitioning from traditional face-to-face pedagogy to one that relies solely on a screen are still roadblocks for several students within this digital transformation project. KITE Victers has undoubtedly made a major contribution to enabling education to continue as a continuity move in a non-disruptive way and will historically be recognised as a pioneering step in India's edtech landscape.
