Koraput (Odisha): Though the concept of online learning is extremely refreshing to hear during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ground reality is completely different.
The Koraput district in Odisha, which is surrounded by hills and forests is inhabited mostly by tribal communities. Every day, the people of the district struggle to make a livelihood. The tribal people here are deprived of the basic facilities to make a living for themselves. In such a situation, how can their children study with the help of mobile phones at a place where owning a cell phone is itself a dream for many.
Despite the challenges, the Odisha government launched a programme for children to receive their lessons through WhatsApp. Suni Krsani, a class seven student, has been provided with text books. However, the text books have been rendered useless in the absence of teachers.
"I cannot study from my book as I have no mobile. I can't understand. Only if someone helps me, will I be able to learn from the book," Suni said.
Similarly, students with small basic cell phones cannot make use of the online learning facility. "We don't have a smartphone, my father takes it to work. It is not possible for me to study English with the small cell phone," said Hitesh Bag, another student who is finding it difficult to continue his learning during the pandemic.
Akhirani, the 'Asha' worker of the village has an android phone. However, owing to her busy schedule, she is not in a position to spare time for the children.
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Even the parents of the kids find it extremely surprising that the government came up with the concept of WhatsApp learning when clearly there exists a massive digital divide.
"Everyone doesn't know how to handle mobiles. Many are uneducated. They don't have smartphones, how can they learn on WhatsApp? Network is also an issue here. Most of the time there is no electricity," rued a parent Akhirani Sagar.
Similarly, Madan Krsani another parent, said: "It is ridiculous... WhatsApp learning in villages? It is surprising to think how the government even came up with this idea."
Though a lot of focus is on remote education during the COVID pandemic, it is practically impossible to extend online study facility in places like Koraput. Even the District Education Officer has admitted that not all students will be able to avail the facility.
"We have taken note of the enrollment position through headmasters of all schools. We also segregated the rural and urban students and found a 30:70 ratio. We hope 60 to 70 per cent of students will benefit from this facility," he said.
The situation in Odisha stands proof for the fact that till the necessary digital infrastructure is not made available to everyone, online learning will continue to remain a distant dream.
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