Challenges to education have been exacerbated by restrictions due to COVID-19, especially for those from poorer backgrounds or in remote areas. It has become a challenge for government, caregivers, teachers and parents to ensure in providing quality education in the pandemic.
Educating kids online
The need for physical distancing has suddenly led to most schools resorting to online teaching, for which the country was absolutely unprepared. Several NGOs are taking care of vulnerable children who are unable to meet educational needs. These NGOs are helping them through every possible resource.
Here’s looking at some NGOs in India that are helping vulnerable children through online education:
1. Miracle Foundation
Miracle Foundation India, along with CCI (child care institution) teams, is educating kids at child care institutes since the lockdown started. Through Miracle’s support, all the CCIs have set up computer labs with internet connection and electricity back-up. Now, they are in the process of providing tablets and smartphones to children who have returned home their families and do not have access to any technology.
Miracle Foundation is ensuring connectivity and providing data support for these children. They are educating kids with the existing staff of CCI and remote learning to cover their syllabus.
2. E-Vidyaloka
The Bangalore-based NGO focuses on imparting education to students of rural government schools in India by crowdsourcing volunteer teachers and connecting them to the schools using the power of IT. During the pandemic, the foundation is focusing on provide education through remote learning with the access of internet and electronics. E-Vidyaloka believes educating kids online will be the way forward in the future.
3. Magic Bus
Magic Bus foundation equips children and young people in the age group of 12 to 18, with the skills and knowledge they need, to grow up and move out of poverty. The foundation has partnered with Classplus mobile OS for online education to poor kids enrolled in the Magic Bus Livelihood programme. Through the partnership, they will help over 2,000 youngsters across 22 states.
4. Smile Foundation
Smile Foundation provides education to thousands of children from Class I to Class XII running across 23 states. The foundation found that about 56% of Indian children lack smartphones. In this scenario, amidst Covid-19, they are providing possible solutions to access education.
Challenges to education have been exacerbated by restrictions due to COVID-19, especially for those from poorer backgrounds or in remote areas. It has further become a challenge for the government, caregivers, teachers and parents to ensure in providing quality education in the pandemic. Thus, the need for physical distancing has suddenly led to most schools resorting to online teaching. Though, the country was unprepared. And now, several NGOs are taking care of vulnerable children who are unable to meet their educational needs and going through a break. These NGOs are helping them through every possible resource.
Here’s looking at some NGOs in India that are helping vulnerable children with their education:
Miracle Foundation India
Miracle Foundation India, along with CCI teams, has continued to educate kids at child care institutes. Through Miracle’s support, all the CCIs have set up computer labs with internet connection and electricity back-up. Now, they are in the process of providing tablets and smartphones to children who have gone back to their families. These are still students who do not have access to any technology. So, the Foundation is ensuring connectivity and providing support for the internet data for these children. They are educating kids with the existing staff of CCI and remote learning to cover their syllabus with the least impact.
Magic Bus
Magic Bus foundation equips children and young people in the age group of 12 to 18, with the skills and knowledge they need, to grow up and move out of poverty. This takes them from a childhood full of challenges to a life with meaningful livelihoods. The foundation has also partnered with Classplus. It is a mobile OS for online education to poor kids enrolled on the Magic Bus Livelihood programme. Through the partnership, they will help over 2,000 youngsters across 22 states.
E-Vidyaloka
This Bangalore-based NGO focuses on imparting education to students of Rural government schools in India. They further crowdsource volunteer teachers and connect them to the rural government schools using the power of IT. During the pandemic, the foundation is focusing on providing education through remote learning with the access of internet and electronics.
Smile Foundation
NGO Smile Foundation provides education to thousands of children from Class I to Class XII running across 23 states. The foundation also finds that about 56 per cent of Indian children lack smartphones. In this scenario amidst Covid-19, they are providing possible solutions to access education.
It is three months since the first lockdown was announced due to Covid-19. Like all fields, the pandemic has affected the area of education too which has had to take recourse to online learning even from the primary school stage. But lack of universal availability of the electronic tools for learning, has also created a divide between the haves and have-nots. Anju Munshi probes
Recently, a teenage girl from Howrah near Kolkata hanged herself because she was unable to attend her online classes. The phone she shared with her family got damaged and could not be repaired during the lockdown as the mobile repairing shop was shut. A good student in an English medium school, she feared she would not be able to keep up with the others and fail.
In the beginning of June, the daughter of a daily wage labourer in Kerala’s Malappuram district also took her own life for the same reason. A good student, she neither had access to a TV (her father was unable to repair the existing one for lack of money) or a smartphone. Meanwhile, the government’s academic session with online classes had started and she despaired.
Vivan (name changed), son of an auto-rickshaw driver studying in class five in a public school in Kolkata, joined a WhatsApp group created by his school and started online classes. Being dependent on his father for availability of the only smartphone in the family, he lagged behind and after some weeks he lost interest and gave up.
These are only a few instances of how the new mode of learning during this pandemic has affected children from disparate backgrounds thus creating a chasm between the ‘have’s with their individual smartphones/ laptops/ computers and ‘have-not’s who are not lucky enough.
It is not unexpected in a country like India where widely differing economic strata is a reality.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, although about 78 per cent of India’s 1.3 billion population have mobile phones, teledensity in rural areas is only around 57 per cent.
A study in April by the child rights NGO Smile Foundation among 40,000 children – from Class I to Class XII running across 23 states, finds that about 56 per cent of Indian children lack smart phones. Titled “Scenario amidst Covid-19: On ground situations and Possible Solutions” it finds that nearly one in eight children lacks access either to smart phones or basic phones.
A recent Unicef report on the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of 600 million children in South Asia says that despite measures to use technology for education a large number of children were likely to miss out on distant learning opportunities as only a quarter of households, that is, 24 per cent is estimated to have access to the internet .It also says that there is a large rural-urban and gender divide in access to internet services .
Lacking access to smartphones, one smartphone per family, usually owned by a working father, unstable network, girls engaged in housework, parents and teachers not well trained to handle the technological part of the exercise, are some other challenges.
For the teachers and schools running online classes, the challenge is no less. “Training, awareness and application are of utmost importance,” says Anjana Saha, principal, Mahadevi Birla World Academy, Kolkata.
“The children need to be reassured by the school that even if a class is missed, content doesn’t disappear and can be accessed later and from anywhere else and that gadgets are not overwhelmingly indispensable. There should not be any panic. A supportive and strategic approach by the school is crucial.”
Meanwhile, the government has engaged multiple channels for continuity of education including web portals, mobile apps, TV channels, radio and podcasts through platforms such as Diksha, Swayam Prabha ,TV channels, E-Pathshala and the National Repository of Open Educational Resources. But experts say that the digital divide among the rural and urban, even urban poor, is a fact and online classes is also an operational nightmare.
Girija Kaul, a parent from Delhi’s Palam Vihar area thinks that without provision for electricity 24×7 these facilities are meaningless.
Dina Rastogi, a parent from Mumbai’s Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum area, opines that the government should provide handsets to all those who cannot afford to buy one and 3G data services should be provided to the maximum number of schools in the villages.
Besides, most of the parents of such disadvantaged children are not equipped to guide their wards. The logistics of getting families set up with the technology are complicated and there’s likely to be plenty of troubleshooting required.
Meena Kak, director, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Kolkata, feels that schools should have separate time slots for children who share one smart phone in the family.
“Difference in one’s learning patterns, uptake skills and gadget access creates an unjust ground. Here we need to customise in a more practical and personal way and then have tailored guidance to home based learning .The most important thing is to maintain a regular contact with students and parents.”
“Schools can be a good linking device. We are trying to train our teachers and make them available by phone, messaging, or email every morning to give an individual and a family-like support to the children. This certainly is not an easy time but we need to empathise with the children and address their insecurities,” she said.
Anjana Saha contends that the problem could be bridged with compassion and good communication. “No one was prepared for this pandemic. The teachers and the administration are trying to offer the best. In fact we need a strong emotional connect that can bridge this gap. It is not a digital divide but a digital challenge’
Then there is another problem that has cropped up. Now that the lockdown has eased up enough for employees to return to their offices they have to leave children behind making them vulnerable to the dangers of electronic devices.
Internet content is unsupervised too. So not only are they unprotected in the absence of parents but can also not resolve a technical glitch in case any arises. Also, not all families have a device to spare and in that case the children have to wait till the parents are home, “If gadget unavailability is a problem, then unsupervised children at home is an equal problem,” says Saha.
In addition to this, teachers also do not possess superfast WiFi service and efficient routers to ensure good connectivity. Says Kavita Sharma, a school teacher from Bengaluru, “Internet subscription is too expensive and complicated to use for many.”
Meanwhile, there are also those who have used their common sense to reach the lessons to their students innovatively. For example, in a village school in Dumka , Jharkhand, the principal (of the Bankathi Upgraded Middle School) has hit upon the idea of using a network of loudspeakers connected with a microphone used by the teacher. The students can hear the lessons, loud and clear, literally, wherever it is convenient for them to study.
The principal, Shyam K. Gandhi, thought of this simple solution while coming to know that 204 out of his 246 students did not have smartphones.
According to reports, attendance has been almost hundred per cent.
Perhaps in these times when online classes seem to stay on for some time to come, and the digital divide is a fact, innovations like these are sorely needed.
The lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities.
NEW DELHI: About 56 per cent of children were found to have no access to smartphones which have emerged as essential tools for online learning during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to a new study that surveyed 42,831 students at various school levels.
The study ‘Scenario amidst COVID 19 – Onground Situations and Possible Solutions’ was conducted by child rights NGO Smile Foundation with an aim of analysing the access to technology.
The findings of the study showed that 43.99 per cent of surveyed children have access to smartphones and another 43.99 per cent of students have access to basic phones while 12.02 per cent do not have access to either smartphones or basic phones.
A total of 56.01 per cent children were found to have no access to smartphones, the study said.
“Concerning television, it was noted that while 68.99 per cent have access to TV, a major chunk of 31.01 per cent does not.
“Hence suggesting that using smartphone interventions for enhancing learning outcomes is not the only solution,” it said.
At the primary level of education (class 1 to 5) 19,576 children were surveyed while at upper primary level (class 6 to 8) 12,277 children were surveyed.
At secondary level of education (class 9 to 10) 5,537 children were surveyed and at higher secondary level (class 11 to 12) 3,216 children were surveyed.
The survey based on which the study was conducted used two approaches – over the telephone wherein the NGO reached out to the children whose database it already had — students enrolled in various education centres of the NGO — and second was through community mobilization wherein community workers went door to door to get answers.
The survey was conducted in 23 states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, over a period of 12 days from April 16 to April 28.
The lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities.
However, many experts say the digital divide in the country may turn online classes into an operational nightmare.
As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country.
However, it is not clear as to how many of them have access to digital devices and Internet.
Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee, Smile Foundation, said the findings clearly show that the digital divide is a real challenge, and multiple approaches need to be implemented to cater to all across the nation.
“As an exercise before we start any programme, we do a baseline study to understand the on-ground challenges so that our programmes can bring in real work and real change.
“With the onset of the pandemic, following indefinite school closures, it is more important than ever to understand the situation and how can we ensure that children are given quality education.
“Through this, we understand that customized modules need to be built in accordance with the channel of communication,” he said.
About 56 per cent of Indian children lack access to smart phones, key to online schooling which has become the norm during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, a survey has found.
The study, titled “Scenario Amidst Covid-19: On-ground Situations and Possible Solutions”, was conducted by the child rights NGO Smile Foundation. It surveyed over 40,000 schoolchildren in 23 states.
According to the study, 43.99 per cent of the children surveyed had access to smart phones and another 43.99 per cent had access only to basic phones. Nearly one in eight —or 12.02 per cent — lacked access to either smart phones or basic phones.
“Concerning television, it was noted that while 68.99 per cent have access to TV, a major chunk of 31.01 per cent do not. Hence suggesting that using smart phone interventions for enhancing learning outcomes is not the only solution,” the study report says.
The study, conducted between April 16 and 28, surveyed children from Class I to Class XII.
It adopted two approaches: talking over the phone with children enrolled in the NGO’s education centres, and sending community workers door to door.
Among the 23 states covered were Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
The lockdown, which began on March 25, has closed schools, colleges and universities, prompting them to switch to online education, an arrangement expected to continue in the near future.
Many experts, however, say the virtual classes are deepening the educational divide in the country because it is difficult for rural and poor children to access them.
According to official statistics, India has over 35 crore school and university students. It remains unclear what proportion of them have access to digital devices and the Internet.
Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee, Smile Foundation, said the findings underline the challenge posed by the digital divide.
He said multiple approaches to education need to be implemented to cater to all sections of society.
“Before we start any programme, we do a baseline study to understand the on-ground challenges so that our programmes can bring in real work and real change,” he said.
“With the onset of the pandemic, following indefinite school closures, it is more important than ever to understand the situation and how we can ensure that children are given quality education. Through this, we understand that customised modules need to be built in accordance with the channel of communication, he said.”
The survey was conducted in 23 states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, over a period of 12 days from April 16 to April 28
As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country. However, it is not clear as to how many of them have access to digital devices and Internet
About 56 per cent of children were found to have no access to smartphones which have emerged as essential tools for online learning during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to a new study that surveyed 42,831 students at various school levels.
The study ‘Scenario amidst COVID 19 – Onground Situations and Possible Solutions’ was conducted by child rights NGO Smile Foundation with an aim of analysing the access to technology.
The findings of the study showed that 43.99 per cent of surveyed children have access to smartphones and another 43.99 per cent of students have access to basic phones while 12.02 per cent do not have access to either smartphones or basic phones.
A total of 56.01 per cent children were found to have no access to smartphones, the study said.
“Concerning television, it was noted that while 68.99 per cent have access to TV, a major chunk of 31.01 per cent does not. Hence suggesting that using smartphone interventions for enhancing learning outcomes is not the only solution,” it said.
At the primary level of education (class 1 to 5) 19,576 children were surveyed while at upper primary level (class 6 to 8) 12,277 children were surveyed. At secondary level of education (class 9 to 10) 5,537 children were surveyed and at higher secondary level (class 11 to 12) 3,216 children were surveyed.
The survey based on which the study was conducted used two approaches – over the telephone wherein the NGO reached out to the children whose database it already had — students enrolled in various education centres of the NGO — and second was through community mobilization wherein community workers went door to door to get answers.
The survey was conducted in 23 states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, over a period of 12 days from April 16 to April 28.
The lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities. However, many experts say the digital divide in the country may turn online classes into an operational nightmare.
As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country. However, it is not clear as to how many of them have access to digital devices and Internet.
Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee, Smile Foundation, said the findings clearly show that the digital divide is a real challenge, and multiple approaches need to be implemented to cater to all across the nation.
“As an exercise before we start any programme, we do a baseline study to understand the on-ground challenges so that our programmes can bring in real work and real change. With the onset of the pandemic, following indefinite school closures, it is more important than ever to understand the situation and how can we ensure that children are given quality education. Through this, we understand that customized modules need to be built in accordance with the channel of communication,” he said.
It was noted that while 68.99 per cent have access to TV, a major chunk of 31.01 per cent does not. Hence suggesting that using smartphone interventions for enhancing learning outcomes is not the only solution, as per the study
About 56 per cent of children were found to have no access to smartphones which have emerged as essential tools for online learning during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to a new study that surveyed 42,831 students at various school levels.
The study ‘Scenario amidst COVID 19 – Onground Situations and Possible Solutions’ was conducted by child rights NGO Smile Foundation with an aim of analysing the access to technology.
The findings of the study showed that 43.99 per cent of surveyed children have access to smartphones and another 43.99 per cent of students have access to basic phones while 12.02 per cent do not have access to either smartphones or basic phones.
A total of 56.01 per cent children were found to have no access to smartphones, the study said.
“Concerning television, it was noted that while 68.99 per cent have access to TV, a major chunk of 31.01 per cent does not. Hence suggesting that using smartphone interventions for enhancing learning outcomes is not the only solution,” it said.
At the primary level of education (class 1 to 5) 19,576 children were surveyed while at upper primary level (class 6 to 8) 12,277 children were surveyed. At the secondary level of education (class 9 to 10) 5,537 children were surveyed and at higher secondary level (class 11 to 12) 3,216 children were surveyed.
The survey-based on which the study was conducted used two approaches – over the telephone wherein the NGO reached out to the children whose database it already had — students enrolled in various education centres of the NGO — and the second was through community mobilization wherein community workers went door to door to get answers.
The survey was conducted in 23 states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, over a period of 12 days from April 16 to April 28.
The lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities. However, many experts say the digital divide in the country may turn online classes into an operational nightmare.
As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country. However, it is not clear as to how many of them have access to digital devices and the Internet.
Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee, Smile Foundation, said the findings clearly show that the digital divide is a real challenge, and multiple approaches need to be implemented to cater to all across the nation.
“As an exercise before we start any programme, we do a baseline study to understand the on-ground challenges so that our programmes can bring in real work and real change. With the onset of the pandemic, following indefinite school closures, it is more important than ever to understand the situation and how can we ensure that children are given quality education. Through this, we understand that customized modules need to be built in accordance with the channel of communication,” he said.
About 56 percent of children were found to have no access to smartphones which have emerged as essential tools for online learning during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to a new study that surveyed 42,831 students at various school levels.
The study ‘Scenario amidst COVID 19 – Onground Situations and Possible Solutions’ was conducted by child rights NGO Smile Foundation with an aim of analysing the access to technology.
The findings of the study showed that 43.99 percent of surveyed children have access to smartphones and another 43.99 percent of students have access to basic phones while 12.02 percent do not have access to either smartphones or basic phones.
A total of 56.01 percent children were found to have no access to smartphones, the study said.
“Concerning television, it was noted that while 68.99 percent have access to TV, a major chunk of 31.01 percent does not. Hence suggesting that using smartphone interventions for enhancing learning outcomes is not the only solution,” it said.
At the primary level of education (class 1 to 5) 19,576 children were surveyed while at upper primary level (class 6 to 8) 12,277 children were surveyed. At secondary level of education (class 9 to 10) 5,537 children were surveyed and at higher secondary level (class 11 to 12) 3,216 children were surveyed.
The survey based on which the study was conducted used two approaches – over the telephone wherein the NGO reached out to the children whose database it already had — students enrolled in various education centres of the NGO — and second was through community mobilization wherein community workers went door to door to get answers.
The survey was conducted in 23 states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, over a period of 12 days from April 16 to April 28.
The lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities. However, many experts say the digital divide in the country may turn online classes into an operational nightmare.
As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country. However, it is not clear as to how many of them have access to digital devices and Internet.
Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee, Smile Foundation, said the findings clearly show that the digital divide is a real challenge, and multiple approaches need to be implemented to cater to all across the nation.
“As an exercise before we start any programme, we do a baseline study to understand the on-ground challenges so that our programmes can bring in real work and real change. With the onset of the pandemic, following indefinite school closures, it is more important than ever to understand the situation and how can we ensure that children are given quality education. Through this, we understand that customized modules need to be built in accordance with the channel of communication,” he said.
