As Maharashtra inches towards the e-learning mode, several students residing in the slum clusters of Dharavi are unable to cope with the pressure of online classes as they cannot afford smartphones.
Amidst the pandemic, most of the families residing in Dharavi are out of jobs. In times of crisis like this, it becomes difficult to make a complete shift to the digital world.
According to a report in Mid-day, most of these students are of Banyan Tree English School which is nestled near the Matunga Labour Camp. Moreover, these children come from daily wager families for whom getting the basic equipment for online classes is financially not possible.
As per reports, even though the school provides education to its students at a subsidised fee of ₹200 per year, due to the current economic situation, it has become difficult for the daily wagers to pay the fee of the municipality school.
The Maharashtra government had earlier allowed online classes for pre-primary students and for students of standards one and two with a daily 30-minute session five days a week.
While parents across the country seem hesitant about sending their children back to school due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, it will be crucial to see how schools maintain social distancing protocols to safeguard their students if educational institutions resume in all the states post the lockdown.
As of now, around 290 million school going students are pursuing education at over 1.4 million schools. Educational institutions have been closed since the third week of March and are yet to resume.
Share
Tweet
