ZED TV -- serious learning through TV

It has finally arrived -- the era of serious learning through television is here! Sir Isaac Newton had once said, "I am still collecting pebbles on the sea shore, while the vast ocean of undiscovered truth lies before me." Truly, the process of education and learning is endless and never stops.

It is a proven fact that the learning process through a combination of audio and visual media is far more effective than learning through only audio or visual means. For long it has been believed that television, with its high-quality audio-visual broadcast, has great potential of imparting and spreading education across regions. Yet, while it is already established abroad, it has taken long to come to India. With this, there is a fair chance that the image of television might undergo a metamorphosis!

Following this lead Zee Telefilms Ltd., through it’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Zee Interactive Learning Systems Ltd., has put in place the country's first 24-hour digital learning channel, which has become operational from 12 October. Christened Zed TV, the channel aims at providing round-the-clock education on a vast range of subjects, addressed to the entire spectrum of Indian society. The digitally delivered channel, which will be free-to-air initially, aims at imparting education coupled with entertainment. It plans to provide a wide variety of training content spanning pre-school programs, youth programs, women’s’ programs, IT programs, consumer programs and corporate programs.

Initially, nearly 60 per cent of the content will be in English and 40 per cent will be in Hindi. Going forward, the channel proposes to beam programs in six languages, including Marathi. By using English as the primary language of instruction, the channel, according to Ms. Uma Ganesh, chief executive of Zee Interactive, is trying to break the fear that English is an alien language.

To begin with, the channel will beam 4 to 5 hours of original programming from 22 October. These programs will be repeated during the course of the day. By the end of February 2001, original programs will be beamed for 8 hours and then there will be repeat telecasts.

The programming has been built around level 4 methodology which leverages television with internet, interactivity and personal contact. It’s a move towards the era of convergence. Through this approach a student desirous of acquiring education on say e-commerce can avail of counselling and registration on Zeelearn.com, learn basics of computing and practicing tools at Zed Career Academics, learn through the audio visual process on ZED TV and finally talk to experts through interactive learning centres.

Describing television as a great medium for education, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, union minister of information and broadcasting, while inaugurating the channel said, "There has been a long awaited need for such a channel. To use TV as a medium of education will yield rich dividends. Mothers will now let their children sit in front of the TV screens and wives will coax their husbands to go out and buy television sets." She however cautioned that the channel's success will largely depend upon the quality of programs.

Responding to a query from domain-B, a Zee Interactive Learning Systems Ltd. spokesperson stated that the company plans to set up nearly 100 centres, in the next two months, all over the country. Called Zee Livewire Interactive centres, these centres would be connected by V-Sat and act as virtual classrooms. Through these centres students will be able to interact live with professionals, experts and professors imparting knowledge.

According to Mr. Subhash Chandra, chairman of Zee Telefilms, Zed TV is not just a social activity for the company, which has already invested about Rs 25 crore in this new venture and committed a further investment of about Rs 100 crore over a period of time. The chairman stated that the division is expected to earn revenues in the range of Rs 500 crore to Rs 700 crore over the next five years.

Mr. Chandra disclosed that Zee was asked to take the lead and do something on education. "We do not want to compete with NIIT or Aptech. All we are doing is to find a way to impart education at a much lower cost and yet make profits. This is our basic objective. We want to leverage on our expertise in the broadcast media to provide learning that leads to national growth and greater good of society. The channel is the first step in helping India achieve its potential as an information super power."

Describing the project as one being very close to the chairman’s heart, Ms. Ganesh, said, "Despite demand for learning being far greater than supply, the learning infrastructure of the country has not been able to keep pace with the demand. Through ZED TV we aim to provide a cheap method of learning and our audience will be able to access the best learning in the country and in the world. Our programs have been made in way so as to target every age group of the society."

Ms. Harini Calamur, head ZED TV said, "Television should be engrossing and involving and learning should lead to direct or indirect benefits for the learner. ZED TV combines the needs of the learner as well as the needs of the medium through well researched, well produced programs."

Feeling happy over the fact that the project had come from a company located in the state of Maharashtra Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, chief minister of Maharashtra, said, "It is a distance learning project and the time was just about right to start the channel." He said this is the channel where children could study for 24 hours.