Bangalore

Online classes for students at all private schools in Karnataka began Thursday, after several months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, digital lessons for students enrolled in public schools have not yet started, officials from the secondary education department said, adding that mapping children to determine if they have access to electronic devices and devices. Internet is not over yet.

According to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, S Suresh Kumar, about 40% of students in the state do not have access to the Internet or a mobile device, which prevents them from taking online classes.

According to data from the state education department, about 9.3 million out of a total of 10.05 million students in private and public schools in Karnataka were counted in terms of access to devices, to Internet, TV, radio and even email.

Of the 9.3 million students, 5.8 million have access to smartphones or tablets and around 3.1 million do not. In addition, around 5.1 million students have access to the Internet while 3.7 million do not have access to the Internet, making carrying out online courses a redundant practice for these children, mainly from rural areas. and state arrears, according to the data.

“Classes or television material will start from July 5. For online classes, we have asked the school level to do a mapping, which was delayed due to the lockdown,” said Thursday. a senior official of the Karnataka secondary education department at Hindustan Times. , asking not to be named.

In Bengaluru (rural, south and north), around 1.7 million students out of a total of over 1.9 million have been identified in terms of access to devices, internet, television, radio and even to email. Among them, 1.3 million students have access to a mobile number on which they can be contacted while 1.4 million students have access to smartphones or tablets. In terms of Internet accessibility, 1.3 million students have access to the Internet while 401,269 do not have access, data from the education department suggests.

The government-appointed Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), in its recommendations, argued that education is the fundamental right of the child and said reopening physical schools would optimize learning, physical and mental health and improve the nutritional aspects of children.

“Any further delay in reopening schools could push children to malnutrition, child labor, child marriage, trafficking, begging, etc., worsening their condition,” according to the report submitted to the headed government. by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on June 22.

The poor access to online courses comes weeks ahead of the dates proposed by the state government for class 10 exams. Karnataka has decided to hold board exams for grade 10 students on the 19th and 22nd. July, in which the six materials will be compressed into two articles, which will carry 120 marks each.

Department officials said that in total, in grades 1-10, only 61% of students have access to online courses while 10-15% have cell phones at home, which their parents use it during the day and can be used by the student to watch and learn the videos and downloaded lessons at a time of their choosing.

The state government has also decided to introduce reforms to periodic student exams, like the CBSE and ICSE boards, but the plan is far from complete and is still being drafted, people told current of developments.

The state government began teaching television courses and created more than 300,000 videos, courses and other content.

However, data shows that 865,259 students across the state do not have access to radio or television in their homes.

Kumar said they were now opening Android banks at all of taluka’s headquarters, where people could donate their smartphones, which would be distributed to students.