Kerala CM says efforts on to help marginalised students bridge digital divide

NEW DELHI: To overcome the shortcomings in online learning, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government has started implementing steps to provide internet facilities in tribal areas. He also reiterated that no student would be left out of the state’s online education system.

According to The Indian Express report, the chief minister said, “Special care is needed to ensure that marginalised sections of society are not left out in the age of technological revolution. Steps are being taken to make sure that not a single child is out of the purview of digital education.”

The government will also provide special financial assistance to the best young researchers in SC/ST category, the report added.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions adopted online learning after COVID-19 hit the country last year. Of all, perhaps the education sector was affected adversely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kerala government took various measures to help students.

To avoid the digital divide caused by the pandemic, the state government in 2020 started a widespread campaign to distribute devices to students who could not pursue online education.

The state government had recently formed a special committee to implement "Let's Go Digital" project in higher education institutions including colleges and universities.

Over 2.96 crore school students across 24 states do not have access to digital devices; Kerala has 9.5 lakh children in this category.

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty last month said live classes are being launched by creating a new application that will help students to interact with teachers directly.

On resuming offline classes in the state, the education minister on August 9 said that the government will consider reopening schools in a phased manner after the complete vaccination of children in the state. He also added that the final decision will be taken after the approval of the Union government and COVID-19 expert agencies.

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