As Kerala commenced fresh academic year with online classes from Monday, a ninth-standard student at Malappuram district in North Kerala ended life allegedly owing to lack of online study facilities like television connection and a smartphone at her house.
Devika, daughter of Balakrishnan, hailing from a Dalit community at Valancherry, about 25 kilometres from Malappuram town, ended her life.
Balakrishnan told the media that he could not recharge the television connection owing to financial crunches. He was working as a daily wage worker and owing to COVID-19 and lockdown, he was not having much work these days. The family also did not have a smartphone or computer. The family members alleged that Devika was quite upset as she could not attend the virtual class that began on Monday. She was a student of a nearby government school.
Local police told DH that Devika, who was the eldest among four children of Balakrishnan, was suspected to have self-immolated using kerosene at a premise close to her house on Monday evening. The cause and provocations were still being probed only. No suicide notes were recovered yet.
2.5 lakh students have no means for accessing online class; Govt offers facility
With recent reports that abut 2.5 lakh school students in the state do not have facilities like television or internet connection for accessing virtual classes, the state government on Monday decided to extend facilities.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday that the Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE), which is a state government undertaking, offered to subsidise 75 percent of the cost of purchasing televisions for setting up neighbourhood study centres. Remaining 25 percent cost of television and other expenses of setting up the centre must be met by local governments or sponsors. KSFE is coming out with a scheme to purchase laptops through Kudumbasree also.
Around 1.2 lakh laptops, 7,000 projectors and 4,545 television sets purchased as part of the high-tech school project of the state would be also used to provide access to online classes for students who do not have facilities, he said.
All school authorities were already instructed by the government to get in touch with each of the 40 lakh plus students in government and aided schools over this week and ensure that they were having access to the online classes being delivered through the government's education channel Victers. Facilities like community viewing facility should be provided to those having no access, said Anvar Sadath, Chief Executive Officer of Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education.