Nearly 500 students in Ernakulam do not possess any gadget to attend online classes, according to the General Education Department.
At least half of these students are residing in tribal hamlets in the district. The latest estimates by the department showed that the parents of nearly 220 students in these regions lacked the financial resources to buy a smartphone, tablet, laptop or television. The district has about 2.6 lakh students in Classes 1 to 10.
“The department has set up 48 neighbourhood learning centres in the district to help children not having any smart device gain access to the ongoing online sessions. These centres are equipped with learning devices and materials,” said Honey G. Alexander, Deputy Director of Education, Ernakulam.
The children belong to tribal hamlets in Pinavoorkudy, Anandakudy, Panthapara, Pooyamkutty, Mamalakandam, Ponginchuvadu, Kunjippara, Uriyampetty and Neriyamangalam.
The neighbourhood learning centres were set up in association with other government departments, local bodies and non-voluntary organisations in various regions. Libraries, anganwadis, local-level Prathibha centres, Vidya Kendras in tribal hamlets, and cluster resource centres were converted to learning centres. The centres have facilities such as television and cable connection, laptops, computers and internet connection to access the classes aired through Victers channel.
However, hilly terrain and lack of internet connectivity continue to remain a major hurdle for tribal students to access the online classes even after nearly three-and-a-half weeks of the new academic year. There have been occasions when the classes held at the neighbourhood learning centres were interrupted owing to poor connectivity and other technical issues.
The education volunteers under the Samagra Shiksha Kerala record the weekly lessons in a pen drive and travel to the tribal hamlets on the weekend to overcome this situation. The children watch the classes on their laptops or common facilities provided at the centres. A member from the tribal community gives regular updates on learning difficulties faced by the children to the volunteers.
An order issued by the Education Department on June 24 stated that the students lacking gadgets and access to online classes should also be given mental and emotional support.
