TIRUCHY: At a time when the world is catching up with 5G networks and making the most out of Artificial Intelligence (AI), education for tribal kids is at the mercy of erratic mobile networks and frequent power cuts in the tribal hamlets of Vannaadu, Kombai and Thenpuranadu in the Pachamalai hills. Nearly 18 schools, from two-room primaries to higher secondary tribal residential institutions, say even simple study material takes a day’s effort to access.
The lone BSNL tower on the hill offers patchy coverage that collapses during rains or outages. “Even with a generator, when power goes off, the signal also disappears. We cannot even make a phone call,” said S Alagumuthu, a resident of Manalodai. Teachers often trek downhill to catch a signal strong enough to download lessons or call parents of absentees. Online special classes remain out of reach.
For students preparing for board and competitive exams, the gap is stark. “It takes two to three days to download a single video lesson,” said a Class XII student from Kombai, who relies on occasional trips to town computer centres to print notes. Except for three higher secondary schools at Top Sengattupatti, Chinna Illupur and Sembuluchampatti with private satellite links, most institutions depend solely on teachers’ mobile phones.
“We sometimes ride for kilometres on bikes just to send a message. While our kids are placed in premium institutions, the government should provide a high-speed network so that our children can download the study material in the school itself, as internet connection is patchy at their homes,” said a teacher in Vannaadu.
With no broadband and unstable signals, both staff and students feel left behind as peers in the plains log into digital classrooms. Teachers say power failures worsen the situations. “Even when the network comes, charging phones or laptops is impossible,” said another staff member.
Officials admit the gap. A BSNL officer in Tiruchy said teams had surveyed Pachamalai schools, and plans are under way to extend 4G Wi-Fi through modems linked to the existing tower and not fibre net “We are prioritising higher secondary institutions in the first phase of our visits so students can access e-learning platforms. Our plan for now is to install 18 modems at each school to get network connection,” the officer said. “Due to the terrain and heavy rains, network issues occur frequently in Pachamalai. However, with generators in place, power cuts have now been largely minimised,” said the district-level Tribal Welfare Officer.
Lakshmi Priya IAS, Secretary of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, said both BSNL and Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation are working to improve connectivity in the hills. For now, Pachamalai’s children remain cut off from basic facilities for what others access at a click, their ambitions slowed not by lack of effort, but by silence on the signal bars.