In the wake of closure of schools for last several months due to the corona pandemic, the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) started classes for students of Class XI and XII over Doordarshan from Monday. This will benefit thousands of students across the state, official sources said.

“We initially started an one-hour programme for science students. Gradually the classes for arts and commerce streams will be launched. Doordarshan has a wider reach and people who are facing problems of internet accessibility will benefit,” said B S Poonia, state project director, Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA).

He said the state government has started teaching students of Class IX and X through Doordarshan (DD) for the last few months. “We got very good response from the classes in Doordarshan from high school students, so we decided to replicate the same for higher secondary classes,” Poonia added. However, a large number of students are not able to attend online classes due to lack of smartphones and internet connections.