As formal learning today has gone completely digital for both school and college students amid the ongoing Covid pandemic, student bodies and guardian-teachers association in Manipur jointly urged the state government to provide free smartphones to poor students to help them access online classes.
During a webinar held on Monday under the theme ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Education and Challenge in Teaching Learning Process’, the participants made the recommendation to provide smartphones for poor students.
The webinar was organised by the Coordinating Committee on Disturbance Free Educational Zone.
It was held as a part of the 14th Disturbance Free Educational Demand Day 2021.
The day is observed every year by conducting mass rallies but this year, owing to the present pandemic, only a webinar was held.
Recommendations:
Identify poor students: The committee resolved that they would urge the state government to identify economically backward families
Free Smartphones for poor students: Distribute smartphones free of cost. This would help to make online classes more effective and inclusive, they added.
Formulate comprehensive policy: The policy should make the online class mandatory and regular and conduct a sensitisation programme on the essence of conducting online classes amid pandemic.
Radio and Cable TV: The committee also highlighted that taking support of radio and cable TV in teaching would be another effective medium.
Internet Speed: They also recommended that the internet service providers in the state must also be concerned about monitoring the internet speed frequently.
The coordinating committee consists of various organisations, including teachers, guardians and student bodies, and it has around 14 associations as members.
