The Kerala Ministry of General Education is now planning to implement online classes for students across the state, to facilitate a proper teacher-student interaction as the pandemic does not show signs of letting up. While in 2020, it had begun a much-lauded First Bell initiative where classes were broadcast for students through TV, the government is now planning to switch classes completely online until schools reopen. Sources at the ministry tell us that the television classes will continue until every student gets access to devices and technology to attend classes online.
In a video message on Friday, the state's Education Minister V Sivankutty had appealed to the public to help out underprivileged students get access to technology and gadgets. "We do not want any student to discontinue learning, owing to not having the technology to access online classes. We are now conducting surveys to find out how many students fall in this category. We are trying to resolve this at the school level," he said. "At the same time, we require the support of the people around us," he added. Last year in July, the Kerala government told the High Court that only 89 students had no access to either TV or any electronic devices to attend digital classes.
Previously, while speaking with EdexLive, Sivankutty had said that the new government might soon implement online classes. "We are planning to conduct classes completely online in the coming month. We are discussing a project for that. Through this, the students can interact with teachers via WhatsApp or other mediums. This way, there will be real-time interaction. In the last few days, we gave the students a chance to ask questions via TV. But a lot of them said, "It's been a long time since we saw our teacher." They said to me, "Minister, please let us see our teacher"," he said in May.
