The socio-cultural and economic situations changed with the onset of Covid-19 in 2019. Every industry is undergoing a massive reformation due to the pandemic, especially the education sector. The government issued a mandate to close all academic institutes due to the outbreak of coronavirus until further notice. The authorities proposed to the institutes to carry their regular activities online and thus virtual schools began. Education continued.
In the safety of their home kids, even toddlers, are now learning how to attend zoom calls and meet their school teachers. Some log in through grandparents’ mobile devices, while some share laptops with their working parents or elder siblings. Learning did not stop, at least in urban households. Rural India, on the other hand, is still piloting to illuminate the street lamps.
E-Learning is an immaculate solution for overcrowded metropolitans battling the covid surge. Urban households who were struggling to keep up with work-life balance in pre-covid times are using this as an opportunity to rekindle family ties. Urbanites are composed due to the assurance of “safety” the online education system provides to their wards, while a tribal parent doesn’t even know that such options exist. Opportunities where their children can learn and earn without compromising on their health or leaving their towns.
Almost two-thirds of Indians live in poverty; 68.8% survive on less than $2 (147 INR) a day, and 30% survive on less than $1.25 (93 INR) a day. Thinking of investing in a smartphone or computer is out of the question for such impoverished families.
Priya, the founder of Mrida Education and Welfare Society, explains: “The thing is that in many Indian tribal locations like Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, the family incomes in cash are not more than 30,000/- INR per year. The purchasing power is limited. Even if there is money, the probability of buying a television would be high, followed by a two-wheeler because it opens the mode of accessibility. To stay connected to migrant relatives, a keypad mobile could be purchased if some extra cash is salvaged. The smartphone is a rare investment, and it is destined to go to “senior-most male member”. Internet availability gives birth to a different array of problems. Let’s say they still find an area or internet pole nearby; recharge vouchers are not affordable for them. The concept of free Wi-Fi doesn’t exist in this part of the world.”
“Many young people go to the cities for work. The income grows, which is mostly from some remittance money coming from labor work. They will buy smartphones but use them marginally due to a lack of knowledge. Their kids do not get access to the phone for studying because the parents fear they will damage the expensive gadget. After these varied obstacles, even if the children somehow get a smartphone, and have access to the internet, the device will still be used more for leisure than for educational purposes,”, as noted by an educator at Riverside Natural School, Mandla.
The learning gap between the urban and rural is extensive due to factors that are superannuated.
Today we take a look at the other side of the screen of “Online Education”.
Prerequisite resources:
To attend lectures online, a student needs an internet-enabled device, a well-streaming internet connection, and electricity to power it. All three are considered luxuries in most Indian villages. Even if a particular zone, like the sidewalks of a state highway, is receiving an internet signal, the struggle to reach the location and join the live class in time is equivalent to the difficulty in attending a physical school.
First-generation learners:
Most children in the tribal zones across India are first-time learners. Their earlier generations have not received formal education. These children are entering the academic ecosystem for the first time. They are just getting exposed to the basics of languages, arithmetic, and science. For such early buds, the concept of physical schooling is just being established. The etiquettes of a teacher-student relationship, the classroom gaiety, the peer interactions, and making childhood memories are just beginning. Learning from a mobile or computer screen over a webinar is like new-age sorcery for these freshers.
The transitioning from physical to online school becomes rather easy for urban kids because they have educated parents who are aware of the technical know-how, as compared to village habitants. Even if city kids are inattentive during online lectures or they have grasping difficulties learned, parents can help them later with supporting books and references, which is unlikely for a child in the tribal zone.
Learning Materials:
The already established curriculums make zero to no sense to these forest dwellers speaking in Gond and Bihu, or any other tribal language. The education system fails to understand the socio-economic difference between Indian cities and Indian villages. Thus, a majority of the learning materials available online or offline are mainstream languages.
Huge drop-out rates:
Dropping out of school for the financial crisis was and is persistent in rural schools. Now, due to COVID-19, it is all the more rampant. There is a lack of proper medical facilities and vaccine outreach programs. The survival in tribal zones depends on the daily wages they receive after toiling in labor jobs. Lockdowns have been harsh, and where fetching daily meals is a major concern, educating their juveniles is not a priority.
Role of Teachers:
Good teachers are inevitable for the foundation of discipline, learning, and excellence in students’ life. Physical education teachers are scarce in schools across rural India. Although the form of online education opened channels for teachers to connect with students, yet only a few teachers can understand the daily combats of these rural kids. 5.8% of all primary schools and 30.8% of upper primary schools had a physical education teacher available, as per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2018. This number may not have seen any significant rise post-Covid-19.
Looking ahead online education for tribal zones will be a pivotal movement in uplifting the entire community. The Right to Education Act of 2010 gave a pavement to many unheard remote locations to walk on the path of education. In 2020, the first cohort of students to benefit from this act completed a decade. A lot has changed since the Act was instated. The government and institutional initiatives have achieved significant milestones in their pursuit of providing education to rural children of India. No doubt there is infinite scope for improvisation and online education might just be the push we need to stand as an equally educated nation.P
