In three districts of Kashmir, at least 45 percent students of Government run schools are unable to attend the online classes during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ironically, in one of the districts of north Kashmir, only 25 percent of students have attended the online classes.
The news agency accessed the official figures of online classes of Friday, attended by the students of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, north Kashmir’s Bandipora and Central Kashmir’s Srinagar district. It reveals that only 54.55 percent of students studying in government run schools have attended the online classes on May 28.
The figures reveal that in Srinagar, only 72.01 percent students attended the online classes on May 28 wherein 32,839 students were enrolled and only 23,648 students out of them attended the online classes.
Similarly, in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, only 67 percent students enrolled in government-run-schools attended the online classes on May 28, wherein 28,197 students are enrolled out of which 18,817 attended the online classes.
Only 24.65 percent students of government schools in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district have attended online classes on Friday (May-28). In this district, at least 49,286 students are enrolled in the government schools out of which only 12,149 attended the online classes.
At Quil muqam zone of the district, only 12.67 percent students attended the online classes on Friday (May 28). In this zone, at least 8451 students are enrolled in various government schools out of which only 1071 attended the online classes.
Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK), Tassaduq Hussain Mir said that the government has started radio-classes and Tele-Classes for the students who are not attending online classes.
“Besides online classes, we have started radio-classes this week and from Monday, Tele-Classes will also be telecasted and the students who are not able to attend the online classes due to several reasons can listen and watch the lectures on radio and TV,” Mir said.
Pertinently, in 2020 when Kashmir was reeling under the lockdown of the first wave of COVID-19, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) states that in Jammu Kashmir only 15.7 percent school students enrolled took part in the learning activity during the selected survey time.
It also reveals that only 4.3 percent of students of Jammu Kashmir listened to classes that were being aired through the radio medium.
ASER in the report further mentioned that total of 7.5 percent students of Jammu and Kashmir watched the lectures through TV classes including 7.6 percent students of government schools and 7.3 percent students of private institutions—(KNO)