The Central Board of Secondary Education is set to establish its own community radio station to connect directly with students, teachers, and other stakeholders, enhancing outreach and educational communication.
According to officials, the proposal was cleared at the board’s recent Governing Body meeting, where it was also decided that an application for the community radio licence would be initiated. The board will hold consultations with stakeholders and experts over the next six months to finalise the proposal and assess financial requirements.
“The proposal to set up a community radio station was approved by the board's Governing Body. It was decided that consultative meetings will be held in next six months with stakeholders and experts for preparing and processing application for community radio license,” a senior CBSE official said.
CBSE already operates Shiksha Vani, a podcast available on the Play Store for Android users, which delivers subject-specific audio content for classes 9 to 12 in line with the NCERT curriculum. Nearly 400 episodes have been uploaded so far.
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Once operational, the new radio platform will offer an additional medium for educational programming and interactive content. The modalities for its broadcast will be decided after the licence is secured.
Community radio in India serves as a grassroots medium, designed to be operated by local communities and non-profit bodies such as educational institutions and NGOs. These low-power stations are seen as vital for delivering targeted content in local languages, especially in rural areas.
Government statistics show 540 community radio stations are currently active in the country, with many focusing on issues such as health, nutrition, agriculture, and education for marginalised communities. The government has been encouraging their growth through policy support and schemes.
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