Ensure 24x7 power supply to enable students to attend online classes on Doordarshan
Ferozepur, June 9, 2020: To enable the poor students to attend online classes on the Doordarshan television channel, in the absence of unaffordable smartphones in their families, uninterrupted power supply may be ensured in the rural and urban areas.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to this online method of teaching and learning but in these lock down times they are truly vital in as they are easy and beneficial forms of virtual communication.
The online study introduced, due to closure of schools in the wake of Covid-19 lockdown, is making students mentally ill and the mental health services are becoming increasingly important who cannot afford to this system, said Democratic Teachers Front President, Digvijay Pal Sharma.
He said, the online learning campaign run by the government is proving to be detrimental to the students instead of being a boon to them. Children from economically disadvantaged families cannot afford to buy smart devices like smartphones, laptops etc. for online education. The education department is issuing orders ignoring the ground realities of the plight of the labour class.
On the other hand, the Congress government had promised in its 2017 election manifesto to provide smart phones to every student which facility remained a part of manifesto in papers only, he added.
Sharing a very unfortunate incident, he said, Jagsir Singh, daughter of Ramandeep Kaur, a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhamme Kalan (Mansa), has recently committed suicide due to not getting the required laptop for online study.
District Secretary Balram Sharma said that online education was totally irrelevant and beyond ground realities. According to the survey, only an average of 20 percent students in a class has been able to benefit from this education.
He added that the students living below the poverty line are forced to work during the lockdown. It is the duty of the government to provide smart phones to every student to continue to their studies during the lockdown period.
While the poor families are not having smartphones and the middle class too are facing problems in the absence of mobiles with an internet connection. The best way to continue with the studies is to attend classes on Doordarshan for which the government should ensure the uninterrupted power supply during day time and there is no clash of timings for kids of different classes in a family, said Rajdeep Singh, Secretary, DTF.
The Front leaders said in case the government does not pay any heed to take care of all the students during the lockdown period, a massive protest will be started.