These poor girls get digital push to continue studies
LUCKNOW:Studies of many girl students from poor financial background in the state capital were in the lurch when the lockdown was announced in March to contain Covid-19 pandemic.
“My father is a labourer and the Covid-19 crisis turned our world upside down as my father was left with no money. The most important thing for my family was to manage meals. Education was the last thing on their minds,” said Sapna Nishad, 14, a student of class 6 at Prerna Girls’ School here.
Like her, class 11 student Soni of the same school had also lost all hope to continue studies. “The pandemic compounded our miseries. Suddenly our source of income was gone and we were left with nothing. When my classes started, I was living in fear that I will not be able to continue my studies,” said Soni, whose father, a daily wager, was hit hard during the lockdown.
However, the world of both the girls changed for the better in the last couple of months when they were selected for ‘Digital Saathi’ — a Study Hall Educational
Foundation (SHEF) initiative -that provides smart phones to senior students of Prerna Girls’ School till they continue their studies. Academic performance of these girls and their ability to add more such students to benefit from the initiative were the criteria for selection.
“Once the lockdown ended, the school provided us with smartphones which helped me and other girls living nearby. We get our lessons daily and are able to get important information as well,” says an elated Soni. Sapna too is very happy and relieved now. “The smartphone has been a boon for me, my sisters, and the girls living in my area. We are all catching up on the course we have missed and our teachers are helping us,” says Sapna.
There are currently 64 such girls, including Soni and Sapna, from Prerna Girls’ School who have received smart phones and are reaching out to girls in their communities who otherwise lack access to internet and smart phones. Over the last month, they have connected themselves and 160 girls to their teachers and their studies and the number continues to rise.
The initiative was started in June to enable these girls to access e-mail, WhatsApp, Zoom, and other platforms being used to conduct classes as well as share information, resources, and assignments. Till now, SHEF has distributed 64 smartphones and 34 laptops under the programme.
The pandemic has caused massive disruption in education systems . While a great deal of teaching and learning is being moved online, this shift is not without consequence. In India, just 12.5% of students have access to smartphone. Of this, boys have the lion’s share leaving girls with negligible access.