NGOs, volunteers step in with gadgets, help students attend online classes

A recent survey by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education found that around 33% of the 93.01 lakh students in Karnataka did not have access to devices required to attend online classes.

Twelve-year-old Shreya B. was struggling to access online classes held by the private school she was enrolled in even though her mother had a mobile phone, since she did not have access to it at all times. Her mother, a single parent who worked in the garment sector, had lost her job during the second wave of COVID-19, and needed her phone when she stepped out of the house to look for other sources of employment. With no other access to the internet, Shreya was finding it difficult to attend online classes, until the SMSC Charitable Trust stepped in and gave her a mobile phone. With the help of the Trust, she was able to appear for her examinations online. “Now, not only am I able to attend online classes with ease, I am also able to use the phone whenever I want to watch pre-recorded videos of my lessons,” she said happily. While many students, particularly from low socio-economic backgrounds, are victims of the digital divide, organisations and individuals are coming forward to help bridge the gap.