According to National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data, only 4.4 per cent of rural households own computers, out of which only 14 per cent have a computer with an internet connection. The problem further elevates when we talk about the rural population living in the hilly regions. With almost no internet access and minimal network connectivity, students and teachers faced a great ordeal over the last two years.

Under these circumstances, these four national awardee teachers from different states of the country not only bridged the digital divide for their students but also helped their peers beat digital illiteracy  

‘Har Ghar Pathshala’ campaign in Chamba

A primary teacher at GTS Moura school in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, Yudhveer launched ‘har ghar pathshala’ campaign in 2020 to tackle the digital divide in his area. “The entire Chamba district is divided into two regions, where one region has balanced internet access while the other had zero connectivity. It was difficult for us to run online classes and only a few students could participate. Hence, we decided to launch a website where e-content would be uploaded for students who had internet access and hard copy of the assignments were provided to each student at their home who had no internet facility,” Yudhveer told indianexpress.com

“We conducted weekly classes in open areas. Our class had a total of 58 students and only two teachers for all subjects. We took up the responsibility to learn innovative ways of teaching from Youtube to capture students’ attention. Quality checks were also conducted to ensure students did their homework. However, this all would have been easier if we had been provided proper training as well as access to digital resources,” he highlighted. 

Yudhveer pointed out that when the pandemic hit, teachers were as clueless about online classes as the students. “The teachers in my school had no knowledge of computer skills which ideally should have been a part of our training,” he said. 

WhatsApp Classroom in Ladakh

“My parents don’t want me to use the internet for studies,” was one of the most unusual but common reasons that Mohd Jabir, a school teacher at Government Middle School Karith, Kargil in Ladakh, came across in the pandemic years. 

Mhd Jabir educating women in hilly areas

“In hilly areas, parents and guardians are not much aware about the technology. Hence, they try to keep their kids away from smartphones in order to keep them ‘safe’ from the digital world. Most of them fear that their children will get exposed to adult content on the internet. We conducted workshops and seminars for parents to spread awareness about digital literacy and its use in today’s world,” Jabir shared.

Apart from parents, even the teachers in the area were digitally-challenged. “We educated nine teachers of our school through WhatsApp and by conducting webinars on how to use the internet and other online tools for teaching and learning. Most of the e-learning content was circulated through WhatsApp and today almost all teachers in the school have knowledge of the internet and computers,” he said.

Helping the senior teachers with technology 

The most affected in the teacher’s fraternity during the pandemic were teachers above the age of 50 years, who had limited knowledge of the digital world. However, sixty-eight-year-old Kaustub Chandra Joshi, Principal of SDS GIC at Pratappur-Chakaluwa in the Nainital region helped his peers become digitally literate. 

“In 2007, when education e-content was emerging as a new space, I decided to acquaint myself with the computers and use of the internet. Over the years, I kept in touch with latest technologies and updates in teaching which came in handy during the Covid years. Most teachers of my age faced challenges in conducting online classes, majority of them didn’t even have laptops or smartphones. I helped them in learning the basics of the internet so they can take online classes and assign work to their students,” Joshi shared. 

Joshi, who is also a member of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), developed online educational content for both students as well as teachers. He also developed an innovative digital library and computer club in his school and is extensively using the same for students learning. His efforts have led students to succeed in many fields.

Teacher at your door in Meghalaya

Network connectivity in the East Garo Hills of Meghalaya is very low. Hence online learning and teaching was nearly impossible. But Gamchi Timra Marak, founder of Educere higher secondary school at Kushimkol, Meghalaya took up the initiative to teach each student right at their doorstep. 

“Initially we did launch online classes but it wasn’t much effective because of poor network connectivity, lack of proper digital gadgets. Only 30 per cent of the class was able to attend online classes. Therefore, we decided to send teachers right at student’s doorsteps. We provided them with resources and study material. Special focus was laid on underprivileged students where parents were unwilling to send their children to study. Eventually with the efforts of both students and teachers we were able to bring back around 90 per cent of the prviosly enrolled students back to school,” Gamchi said.