Page 26 - EducationWorld November 2020

Education News

thority (SSSA) with wide powers to students. The situation is even more
supervise all schools — government difficult in rural areas of West Bengal
and private — including the power to and less developed states such as
regulate the tuition and other fees of Manipur. Online learning is a new
private schools. phenomenon and institutional man-
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) agements and teachers are still in the
process of familiarising themselves
Widening digital and students with digital teaching-
learning,” says Gerry Arathoon,
divide secretary and chief executive of the
pan-India Delhi-based Council for
Indian School Certificate Examina-
ith west bengal’s 81,000 tions (CISCE) board which has 3,000
primary, secondary and private schools countrywide, and 430
Whigher secondary gov- in West Bengal affiliated with it.
ernment schools and 600 private Unsurprisingly, academics in the
schools with an aggregate enrolment state are alarmed at the growing
of 26 million children shut down since digital divide within the students’
mid-March because of the Coronavi- community of West Bengal. “The
rus pandemic which has taken a toll digital learning deficit of vulnerable
of 7,350 lives in the state, the online and impressionable children in Ben-
education revolution seems to have gal is a reality. This divide is placing
bypassed the state (pop. 91 million). students from the upper strata in an TAMIL NADU
advantageous position and will force
In state-funded schools, attendance millions of children in under-served Weakening resolve
in the digitally aided classes is report-
edly below 40 percent, and in private government and budget private
schools an average 65 percent of stu- schools to drop out. The govern- ith tamil nadu’s Coronavi-
dents regularly attend online classes, ment as well as industry should step rus infection rates and fa-
according to data collected by the forward to bridge the digital divide Wtalities falling from a peak
state’s education ministry. in education. The state government of 57,968 (July) and 127 (August)
Meanwhile, with the state’s leg- alone can’t solve the problem. The to 18,709 and 25 in November, the
islative assembly election scheduled Centre should also take the initiative state’s AIADMK government is mull-
for next summer fast approaching, to provide proper Internet connec- ing over reopening schools and col-
the ruling Trinamool Congress Party tivity to needy students at low cost. leges on November 16. However, with
led by fiery chief minister Mamata Mobile phone manufacturing com- the state legislative election due next
Banerjee, is dithering on the issue of panies can also play a big role. Many summer and news that 575 students
reopening school and college cam- families have only one device at and 829 teachers in neighbouring
puses with the Covid-19 pandemic home and girls are often not allowed Andhra Pradesh tested Covid positive
showing no signs of abating. to use them. The state government within days after schools reopened
Although a small minority of pri- should identify such families and on November 2, has made the gov-
vate schools in Kolkata are reporting provide online learning facilities with ernment ultra-cautious. Only senior
that over 90 percent of students are the help of industry,” says Suranjan schools (classes IX-XII), colleges,
learning online, these are children Das, vice chancellor of the highly research and other education institu-
of upper middle class and wealthy reputed, state government funded tions outside containment zones will
households which are well equipped Jadavpur University, Kolkata. commence classes from November
with reliable Internet connectivity Meanwhile with the state’s Trin- 16. Moreover, schools and colleges
and digital devices. Average atten- amool Congress government dither- must strictly follow SOPs (standard
dance in private schools’ online ing on the issue of reopening schools operating protocols) and all educa-
classes although higher than in for conventional education fearful of tion institutions must receive consent
government schools, is reportedly a a spike in Covid cases as the elec- of parents for their children to attend
modest 65 percent. tion nears, the growing digital divide classes.
“Principals of several schools have is forcing millions of out-of-school The risk of a resurge in Covid posi-
informed us about low attendance in children statewide into child labour tive cases is high. Currently 4 million
online classes. Teachers are find- and worse. children are enrolled in 5,000 senior
ing it difficult to communicate with Mita Mukherjee (Kolkata) and higher secondary schools state-

26 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2020