Television: No more an Entertainment Box Only!

Abstract

Television, introduced in India in 1959, has been taking care of both “instruction” and “social education” in the context of educational broadcast in India. Television is still considered as one of the greatest inventions of mankind among thousands of other technological inventions made so far. It has gained popularity among the millions of people and made a central place in a wide spectrum of media including new media. Apart from being a source of entertainment, it has evolved as one of the medium of educational technology. This article tries to give an overview of Television in India with regard to its educational functions and also as an educational equaliser. An attempt has been made to give a picture of educational broadcast in India with special reference to distance education. Few challenges that emerge while using Television as an educational media alongwith few points of policy implications have also been discussed.