Karnataka: 16k students in Haveri have no access to digital learning

HAVERI: The re-opening of schools seeming more and more a distant prospect in the present scenario, students, parents and teachers appear to have resigned themselves to the fact that online classes will, at least for the foreseeable future, remain the norm.
And although schools have been shut for more than 15 months now, efforts taken by government agencies, schools and NGOs to bridge the digital divide between those with means and those without, not to mention the easy access to internet in urban areas compared with the villages, a large section of students continue to be left behind in this digital age.
In Haveri district alone, nearly 16,000 students, both in primary and high schools, are not in possession of the necessary tools essential to ensure uninterrupted learning.
Of the nearly 2.8 lakh students who had enrolled in schools – in government, aided and unaided institutions – more than two lakh have been admitted to primary school, while nearly 60,000 have enrolled in high schools. Of these, nearly 16,000 students, according to a survey conducted by the department of public instruction, predominantly from rural areas have no kind of access to learning tools, putting them at a severe disadvantage.
Teachers have been asked to group their students based on the degree of access they have to smartphones, computers and television, while planning their lessons. Teachers have been directed to appeal to parents to arrange by any means possible, a digital learning platform for their children.
Deputy director of public instruction Andaneppa Vadageri said that all efforts were being made to include every last student in the process. “Many of our teachers are distributing lessons and engaging children in activities by approaching them at their doorstep, particularly those enrolled in government schools, who do not have access to digital modes of education,” Vadageri said.
‘Teachers doing all they can’
“We will chalk out a better plan to ensure children do not miss out on learning. To that end, our teachers are walking the extra mile, while many donors have volunteered to donate smartphones and tablets to children from underprivileged sections of society,” said Mohammad Roshan chief executive officer, Haveri zilla panchayat.