The Nagaland government has decided to distribute pen drives loaded with study materials among students of classes 5 to 12 residing in rural areas where poor network connectivity hampers their online education, a senior official said on Monday.

Two phases of online education have been completed since the closure of the schools due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The pen drives will contain the syllabi covered in the online classes held since May 1, Principal Director of School Education, Shanavas C, said.

"Students residing in urban areas like Dimapur and Kohima can access online facilities, but those living in rural areas face network issues. This is why pen drives loaded with study materials will be distributed among students of classes 5 to 12," he said.

The department has also asked the teachers posted in the rural areas to assist the students in studies as they face problems in accessing online education, the official said.

The third phase of the online classes will start from August 18, he said. Private schools can also place orders for the pen drives via the department's portal www.dosenl.in. They will, however, have to pay amounts ranging between Rs 350 and Rs 850 for a pen drive depending on the syllabus covered in it, the official said.

The department has directed the teachers to regularly distribute notes and worksheets among the students of lower classes to ensure that they continue with education, he said.

All educational institutions in the state are shut as part of the ongoing lockdown in the state till August 31.