CHENNAI: Sumaiya Begum (43) is a keen learner for the Arabic language. However, family commitments held her back from attending classes for years. “My sister-in-law introduced me to an online course, and I have been taking it for a month now. I realize I had wasted most of my time until now,” she said.
Ever since the city went into a lockdown, e-learning has found its way into most households. Even those who used phones only to attend calls, are busy attending online courses. Devaki Balaji, founder and CEO of APJ Academy, was one among the many who began looking for options to engage with her students when the uncertaiity of lockdown loomed over our heads.
“I thought online courses would keep children engaged and also be feasible from a parent’s perspective. Also, as there is no pressure of scoring, I am offering various other courses, including vedic maths, sloka and vocal training,” she said.
Devaki said there is an increased demand from adults too for courses. “Even Indians settled in the UK, US, Australia and Canada have also signed up for the courses,” she added. The fees varies from Rs 499 to Rs 999, depending on the course.
A major challenge for these online courses is the usage of internet. While most middle-class families do not use a WiFi connection, the minimal mobile data stands a chance of getting exhausted after one class.
Keeping this in mind, Divya Sundaram of Kaaryatriptih - an organisation dealing with mental health and training - is recording these online classes, and sharing it with the participants via email.“This will help people access the video when they are free as it is difficult to manage everybody’s time. In the last 20 days, we have had at least 85 participants signing up for courses,” she said.
Art contest
Meanwhile, the state police is not far behind too. The Crime against Women and Children wing is conducting an online art contest for children between ages 4 and 16, based on a theme called “Our Everyday Heros”. Last date of submission is May 3, and the submissions have to be sent to tnpolice.artcontest@gmail.com.