Over 60,000 students across Mumbai still do not have access to online education after 10 months of lockdown, according to the information given by the education department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
A senior official of the civic education department said, "Out of the 60,000 students, almost 50 students are unable to access online classes because they do not have smartphones. Also, around 20,000 students cannot afford internet connection despite having access to smartphones."
Teachers of BMC Mumbai Public Schools (MPS) have started calling students and sending messages to teach them basic lessons. Rajendra Kanade, a teacher said, "The first semester is over and the second semester has already begun. We need to reach students via offline mode if we cannot reach via online lectures. We have started calling students to give them homework or practice assignments."
Currently, schools across Maharashtra have reopened offline for Standard 5 to 12, but those in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane have not been permitted to reopen offline classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
