Mandal makes ‘pensive student Ganesh’ to highlight perils of online education

Nagpur: A Ganesh festival mandal at Lalganj Zade Square, Itwari, seems to have become the newest venue for the ongoing debate on the efficacy of online education, with drawbacks ranging from increased screen time to detrimental influence on mental and physical health highlighted on display boards surrounding the Ganpati idol, which portrayed a student in pensive mood.
The Ashtavinayak Ganesh Utsav Mandal organizers fuelled a thought-provoking argument against the online education system, with boards displaying the demerits of the digital platform which was adopted nationwide during lockdown as a virtual replacement of schooling processes. Their Ganpati idol of the distressed student with a locked school in the backdrop is a show-stopper as many are stopping to click its picture on the way, just after the Dahi Bazar bridge makes way for the road.
When the sombre mood of the idol arrests onlookers’ thoughts, it will take one’s attention towards the arguments against the online education system mentioned on the boards flanking the platform.
One of the organizers Manish Raut, whose elder brother Sunny alias Roshan is the secretary of the mandal, said their group had been revolving their Ganesh idol around relevant themes like water conservation, schooling and so on. “Online education is beyond the reach of a substantial section of the student community, especially those belonging to the rural and economically weak backgrounds. The weaker section was largely deprived of education with the online system necessitating smartphones and robust connectivity for studies,” he said.
Manish added that the online education system has denied students the opportunity of availing traditional schooling, which offered a “much more effective” learning process. “Parents should now be mindful of the detrimental effect that smartphones have on their children, and that is exactly the motto behind the theme of creating awareness against the online education system through our Ganesh idol this year,” he said.
The issues highlighted on the display boards included the teachers’ difficulty in imparting knowledge, hurdles for students in understanding key points during the sessions, faulty feedback and communication processes due to connectivity and so on. The boards also highlighted the growing tendency of students to avoid studies in the online education system.
Manish said the idol has become popular and is attracting visitors from far-off places. “Hope Lord Ganesh will pay heed to our prayers and ensure the pandemic never returns, which will also pave the way for a full-fledged resumption of traditional schooling which, apart from education, also teaches manners and culture that family may not often be able to impart,” the organizer said.