High-speed Internet cheers up tribal children in Kerala

Tabs supplied by Jan Shikshan Sansthan introduce them to online classes

Excitement on the faces of Anjali and Ajita was palpable as they collected their tabs from officials of Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) on Saturday. Their friends Atulya and Haripriya too were among the three dozen children of the Palakkayam tribal colony who celebrated the arrival of high-speed Internet. Thanks to JSS, many students from Palakkayam, Ambumala and Vettilakkolli tribal hamlets were introduced to online classes for the first time since COVID-19 brought about the lockdown in March 2020. Lack of Internet had kept a large number of tribal students away from studies during the lockdown. Some of them could hardly remember the name of their school, as the long vacation had nearly erased their campus memories. As usual, their records with the government may be perfect. But their education has not progressed an inch since March 2020.