This data assumes significance as only 35 per cent of the students benefitted from online content given on social media such as Whatsapp, Doordarshan and radio, as per government data.

In a bid to ‘bridge’ the digital divide for school students, the Jharkhand government will provide mobile tablets to 21000 students, enrolled in classes 1-12, in 136 residential schools run by the SC, ST, OBC welfare department. The department stated that the cost of procuring 21000 tablets will be around Rs 26.25 crore which will opened for tender soon.

The decision was announced Thursday by SC, ST and OBC Welfare Minister Champai Soren. Soren said: “Around 21000 students belonging to SC,ST,OBC communities studying in residential schools will be benefitted who will continue their education with the help of the mobile tablets. The department will also give a SIM card along with a recharge which will include 2 GB of data per day so that the education may not be affected. All important content will be preloaded in the tablets.”

As the pandemic struck, Jharkhand, like other states, also started online classes through social media, Doordarshan, and radio. Government’s own data stated they shared content on more than 47,000 WhatsApp groups created at all levels, covering around 13 lakh students”. Altogether there are 35,931 government schools, excluding aided and private schools, in the state which comprise more than 93% of the total schools. The government schools have more than 47 lakh students enrolled.

This data assumes significance as only 35 per cent of the students benefitted from online content given on social media such as Whatsapp, Doordarshan and radio, as per government’s own data. A source in the department said: “The number of studnets who will benefit from this scheme is miniscule as compared to more than 30 lakh students who were left out of the online learning. But the department thought of bridging the digital divide and this a start. Anyway, it is practically not possible to give mobile devices to all students.”

In December last year, more than 100-odd primary school students from Manika block of Latehar district in Jharkhand participated in ‘School Kholo’ protest. The students and their parents walked from Manika block headquarters, covering about a kilometre, and ending the march at Manika High School in protest against the government’s alleged delay in opening the primary schools i.e; from Class 1-5, which they said was ‘ hampering their growth’.

Schools from class VI to class 12 were already functioning, but class 1-V were not opened with the probability of a third Covid wave in view of the Omicron variant scare. Since the surge, all schools and colleges are currently shut.