MANGALURU: Poor internet connectivity has forced around 40 students from Chinthimar and Manihalla to go to the banks of the Netravati river in Bantwal every day to attend online classes.
While some students spend all day sitting by the riverside to attend classes, young children are often accompanied by their parents every evening to download homework assigned to them by their teachers.
Ramya Jagdish, a beautician and mother of Dishant, a Class IV student, told STOI: “Two months ago, my husband, who works in a private hospital in Bengaluru, met district minister Kota Srinivasa Pujari and asked him to help people from these areas told about the problems. Facing due to poor connectivity. There are at least 200 households that do not have proper mobile internet services. To make digital payments or upload status messages, we have to go to the riverbank, where mobile internet can be used,” she said.
“It has become a routine for parents to go to the river with their kids. With Unlock 3.0, I come back home from work at 4.30 pm to take my son to the banks. At least 40 students are studying in different classes on the spot. Before the pandemic many people had only basic handsets, but due to online classes, they were forced to buy Android phones. Now they are struggling to get internet connectivity,” she said.
“At a time when online education is the order of the day, the priority of the government should be to address internet issues. No access to education can hinder a child’s development. If this is so in the municipal limits, then just imagine what is the condition of the villages.” mounesh vishwakarma, a child rights activist in Puttur.
When the matter was brought to the notice of Bantwal B.E.O Jananesha MP, he directed the officials to look into it immediately.
Meanwhile, Bantwal MLA U Rajesh Naik said that recently a district level meeting was organized in the presence of the MP. MLA, Deputy Commissioner and Zilla Panchayat CEO to look into the issue of internet connectivity. He said that efforts are being made to strengthen it.
While some students spend all day sitting by the riverside to attend classes, young children are often accompanied by their parents every evening to download homework assigned to them by their teachers.
Ramya Jagdish, a beautician and mother of Dishant, a Class IV student, told STOI: “Two months ago, my husband, who works in a private hospital in Bengaluru, met district minister Kota Srinivasa Pujari and asked him to help people from these areas told about the problems. Facing due to poor connectivity. There are at least 200 households that do not have proper mobile internet services. To make digital payments or upload status messages, we have to go to the riverbank, where mobile internet can be used,” she said.
“It has become a routine for parents to go to the river with their kids. With Unlock 3.0, I come back home from work at 4.30 pm to take my son to the banks. At least 40 students are studying in different classes on the spot. Before the pandemic many people had only basic handsets, but due to online classes, they were forced to buy Android phones. Now they are struggling to get internet connectivity,” she said.
“At a time when online education is the order of the day, the priority of the government should be to address internet issues. No access to education can hinder a child’s development. If this is so in the municipal limits, then just imagine what is the condition of the villages.” mounesh vishwakarma, a child rights activist in Puttur.
When the matter was brought to the notice of Bantwal B.E.O Jananesha MP, he directed the officials to look into it immediately.
Meanwhile, Bantwal MLA U Rajesh Naik said that recently a district level meeting was organized in the presence of the MP. MLA, Deputy Commissioner and Zilla Panchayat CEO to look into the issue of internet connectivity. He said that efforts are being made to strengthen it.
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