Schools and colleges across the state of Maharashtra were closed for several months due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, and classes were being held online for both government and private schools to ensure that the students do not suffer academic loss. However, many poor students are unable to attend online classes due to lack of money and also for not being able to recharge their network balance.
Understanding the concerns, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), has decided to pay INR 500 to the students in need for their mobile recharge which will help them continue studying online.
Schools across the state have been closed for over a year since the lockdown and online education has become difficult for many students from poor families who do not have sufficient funds to update their internet connection.
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As per reports, a total of 42,000 students are studying in 72 schools run by the NMMC, many of who are living in slum areas. Family members of some of the students have lost their jobs during the pandemic, and their financial burden has increased since then, due to which they can't recharge their data packs. On the other hand, many parents are not being able to afford mobile internet or online classes for their children and this was brought to the notice of NMMC officials.
Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar has also said the third wave of coronavirus is likely to hit the state in August or September 2021, and schools are less likely to reopen during this period of the year. Hence, the government is taking measures to ensure online education is readily available. Keeping the ongoing constraints in mind, officials have decided that offering a small financial support to these students to get the internet pack, for at least three months, would be helful. The corporation is working on a proposal on ways to distribute the money and plans are being made to deposit the same in a bank account of one of the parents.
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On the other hand, officials, during their discussion, learned that approximately 1600 students from Navi Mumbai do not have mobile phones, and hence, the municipality is also trying to solve this problem for their betterment.
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