Mahakalpara: Education has been one of the worst affected areas during the pandemic. Even as the government has come out with various novel initiatives like online teaching to help students, they have failed to deliver goods.
Recently, the government introduced teaching through YouTube for students up to Class X.
However, this too has not had its desired effect. Access to smart phones, availability of enough data and electricity and above all poor economic condition of these students have come in the way of the success of the online teaching.
Questions are being raised about the success of the recently-introduced YouTube mode of education. Future will only tell how successful this will be, some teaches said on condition of anonymity.
Many families in these villages have no smartphones. Poor families are finding it difficult to arrange two squares meals a day because of the lockdowns and shutdowns necessitated by Covid-19.
For these families food is more important than owning a smartphone for online education of their children. This is the case for the Jangalagheri tribals of coastal Mahakalpara block in Kendrapara district.
They have no agricultural land. They live on catching fish and crabs from the river, creeks and sea. Mobile phones are still a dream for the Shabar tribe of the Petachhela panchayat.
Even as children of these Shabar families have taken admissions in the nearby school, catching fish and crabs for their living is what keeps them busy. The smart education programme of the state government is out of bounds for these kids.
When asked by this correspondent, they said they have no food to eat. Every second day they go hungry. They have no resources to buy a TV or a mobile phone. Same is the case for the families of Singpara, Lunimathia, Pandarmaili, Jambu, Suniti, Baranambar, Akhugada and Baghuameda villages of this block.
PNN
