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Online classes seemed a perfect solution once the nation went into a 21-day lockdown to contain the COVID-19 outbreak until issues like poor connectivity, shortage of smartphones bubbled out.
They say that “ Misfortune never comes alone ”. As if this Coronavirus pandemic was not enough to derail the education system of India and now, poor internet connectivity and shortage of smartphones are creating hindrance for them. Not only students and teachers residing in the remotest parts of the country are facing this issue but also those who are residing in cities. When online teaching method was resorted to by the teachers amidst the 21-day nationwide lockdown, these petty issues have come up to disrupt the learning process.
It is also reported that almost 10% of the IIT students do not have access to all the facilities to study online and attend online classes. According to an IIT Kanpur survey, around 3000 students, i.e almost a staggering 9.3% of its total students are unable to download the resources from the internet.
Other than these, another problem which is on the cards is the students are suffering from a communication gap which is negatively impacting understanding. The network drops during a live session and by the time it is regained, one has already missed out on so many things, said a student.
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The non-urban areas have been hit massively by these issues. Several cases have come to the fore hinting at the problems that the students and teachers face there regularly. However, the “Education cannot wait” motto of these teachers have somehow kept this thing going - by WhatsApp, youtube, teleconferencing etc. There have also been instances where help has been sought from radio stations and television channels to complete the syllabus. A classic example of the same is the “Doaba Radio” programme of School Education Board of Punjab.
The model followed by the private coaching centres, however, seem to work amidst this chaos. Separate sessions have been chalked out by these Institutions for studying, completing assignments and doubt-clearing. The students can get in touch with one of the Institute teachers via WhatsApp in a particular time slot for clarifying their doubts.
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For school kids, the schools have been sending the homework and assignments to their parents and urging them to oversee that their kids complete the same. The teachers are concerned that the parents are not taking enough responsibility to ensure their wards complete the tasks assigned to them or even help them study. The parents, on the other hand, are concerned regarding the way the online classes are being carried out. Kids are forced to sit for a stretch of 5 to 6 hours without any break which the parents feel can be mentally stressful for the kids.
