Resource crunch force students off online education

Even though Jhabua is a seven-hour drive from capital city of Bhopal, it is devoid of even the basic facilities of life, let alone the resources to get their children educated digitally. Jhabua district has hundreds of students enrolled in government and private schools but even those in private institutions are not able to avail education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh):As the entire nation reels under the COVID-19 pandemic, people have begun to adopt alternative methods to keep their lives going.

Even the government has been promoting distant services including education and recreation.

Students across the country have joined digital media platforms for seeking education and things have begun to get on track. However, it is not the same for everyone.

While students in urban families have easy access to mobile phones and laptops along with internet connectivity, it is a far-fetched dream for students in rural areas of the country.

Jhabua is one such village in Madhya Pradesh, that is devoid of even the basic facilities of life, let alone the privileges like digital devices.

Even though Jhabua is a seven-hour drive from the capital city Bhopal, the difference between the situation at these two places is huge.

Renuka, a Class 6 student in Jhabua says that she dreams of becoming a doctor.

However, she is neither able to go to school nor does she have the resources to avail online education.

Guardians of these little kids in Jhabua leave no stone unturned to get their kids' basic education. Yet, the fact that they struggle every day to make ends meet doesn't allow them to buy smartphones and television for their kids.

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Tribal-dominated Jhabua has a literacy rate of 43.3 per cent. Meanwhile, the students who are willing to study are unable to do so because of their families' financial conditions.

Even the minority of students who have gadgets continue to suffer as internet connectivity remains a major problem in Jhabua.

Though the government tried to address the students' problems by telecasting classroom teaching-related programmes on Doordarshan, it does not turn out to be a relief to the students.

The arrangement was on lines of the 'Ghar Hamara Vidyalaya' programme wherein the programs were to be telecasted at the Gram Panchayat buildings in the district.

Jhabua district has nearly 15,000 children with no mobile phones or TVs.

It has 2,538 government schools with over three lakh enrolled students and 326 private schools with 63,551 students enrolled in them.

But even the student's in private schools have been facing difficulties in availing education amid the pandemic.

On the other hand, officials expect the percentage of drop-outs to rise.

However, the situation as narrated by officials remains different.

'Online education is reaching students, books have been distributed and teachers are in regular touch with the kids," they say.

Authorities claim that the entire country switched from offline to online education in no time, but the situation at places like Jhabua tell a different story.

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