Taking note of the plight of those unable to join the virtual classes due to connectivity challenges, the authorities here have embarked on a mission to arrange adequate facilities for 4,289 school students in Kottayam to enable them to attend the classes.
A meeting convened by the District Collector M.Anjana here has decided to reposition the 377 television set and 3,577 laptops in possession of the government schools to various common centres for the benefit of these students. Steps are also in place to expand the online learning facility to at least 200 libraries from the current 94 units by next week.
According to the Collector, a project offering online learning facility for all students in the district will be formed in association with the various local bodies.
“We are examining the possibility of utilizing various government schemes for this purpose, besides seeking cooperation from the different departments, elected representatives and the various service and voluntary organisations. The possibility of extending these facilities for the students coming from other districts through sponsorship is too being considered,” the official said.
For instance, the cooperative banks in the district have sponsored as many as 140 television sets while more such contributions are forthcoming. This is in addition to the 100 sets to be received through the District Industrial Centre and the KSFE.
Tablets for students
Commenting on the initiative, Sebastian Kulathungal, president of the Kottayam District Panchayat, said the local body would examine the possibility of providing tablet computers to at least 3,000 students.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Director of Education V.R. Shyla and Assistant Collector Shikha Surendran. As per estimates by the Education Department, about 85 percent of the 2.68 lakh school students in the district have attended the virtual classes since its launch.The Department, through a survey across 846 schools in the district, also identified about 8,500 students who are unable to access these classes due to technical challenges including the lack of smart phones.
