Prakruthi, a class 4 student of a private school in Channapatna taluk, wakes up at 4 a.m. every day to complete her assignment on her father’s smartphone. She has to finish before he sets out to the fields because she has no other smartphone, laptop or PC at home. Also, Internet during early morning hours is good and she can watch videos without them buffering. While schools outside Bengaluru are also adapting to online class during lockdown, it is not easy for children like Prakruthi, who lives in a village on Channapatna-Maddur border, because of issues of connectivity and availability of devices.
“Our school delivers lectures on digital platforms at scheduled slots to help students to listen to lessons. Nearly 350 students, including those staying at remote villages, have accepted the new mode of teaching since past two months,” said Kiranprasad, trustee of Springfields Public School in Channapatna taluk.
However, many schools themselves have connectivity issues. “We are ready to adapt to online teaching, but the Internet speed is very poor,” said the partner of two private schools in Magadi and Ramanagaram.
A Block Education Officer who did not wish to be named said that government schools too would follow e-learning activities from 2022-23 academic year in a phased manner. Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha member D.K. Suresh has gifted many smart classes to government schools in Ramanagaram district, he added.
