KOCHI: With the suicide of a Class IX student in Malappuram bringing attention to the digital chasm plaguing the state, the government has been receiving flak from many corners for commencing online classes without checking whether all students had the means to attend them. Now, with an aim to prevent further such incidents by bridging this digital gap, the anganwadis in Ernakulam have decided to throw open their doors for students from financially weaker sections to attend online classes.
“Since the Malappuram incident on Monday, six anganwadis in the district have been opened up to help students gain access to online classes. In fact, the anganwadis at Koovappady and Tripunithura were opened the very next day,” said Maya Lakshmi, district project officer, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). According to her, Ernakulam is the only district where the smart class initiative has been implemented in the anganwadis.
“The smart class facility has been installed in 88 anganwadis in the district, while televisions or computers are available in the other centres here,” she said. Following in Ernakulam’s footsteps, the panchayat ward members in other districts too have made requests for the ICDS centres to be made available for online classes, she added.“However, they don’t have smart classes. Only one or two centres have started the facility on a pilot basis,” said Maya.
“The anganwadis are made available as per the request of the ward members. At present, the centres are all closed since classes for the little ones can’t be held until further notice. Hence, they can be used to conduct online classes for students who don’t have access to the same at their homes,” she explained.
Maya stated that the ward members were also ensuring cable connections for the centres that do not have smart class facilities. “There is no need for kids to take such extreme steps. They can contact their ward members or notify the panchayat officials about their problem. The authorities will arrange necessary facilities for them at the anganwadi nearby,” she said.In the meantime, anganwadis are also finding use as quarantine centres. According to the district project officer, as many as 21 anganwadis in the district have been converted to quarantine facilities.