THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the suicide of a Class IX student Devika in Malappuram, allegedly due to lack of access to television and internet for attending virtual classes, General education minister C Raveendranath has sought a report from Deputy Director of Education (DDE) of Malappuram district.
The minister said it was an unfortunate incident. The government will ensure that all the students in the state get hassle-free access to the new form of learning process due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
"We will ensure that no student will be left from the virtual format of school education. In fact, there is no room for any apprehension as the classes will be re-telecasted on weekends and the same classes will be repeated next week. The government has also started collecting the statistics of students who could not attend the classes so as to ensure a speedy solution for them. However, I have sought a report from Malappuram DDE in connection with the student's death", Raveendranath told reporters here on Tuesday.
Devika, 14 was found charred in the courtyard of her house at Valancherry in Malappuram. She was missing from Monday evening. A kerosene bottle was found near her body. A suicide note was also recovered by the police which reads " I am going". The parents of the student alleged that she was under the frustration as she couldn't attend the classes as their television was damaged and needed repair
Meanwhile, the state government has not collected the exact number of students who missed the classes due to various reasons. Though Samagra Shiksha Kerala had found in a survey that around 2.5 lakh students could not attend the classes, the exact number will be more. The reason is due to recurrent power failure due to heavy rain and wind, lack of subscription of Victers channel in various DTH networks.
"We could not collect the exact details and the process is progressing. It will take some time as we need to collect the details of students from each class teachers of the schools. We will make alternate arrangements for them. However, students should not worry about missing the classes as now the trial run is in progress and the classes will be retelecasted again next week", said B Aburaj, Director, State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET). The government has also joined hands with KSFE to buy television sets for local libraries to ensure television channel access to the students whose families who cannot afford a television, computer and smartphones.
The Kerala government has launched 'First Bell', the virtual learning programme for school students replacing the regular format due to the pandemic. The classes are being conducted through Victers channel in television as well as in Youtube. The state has entrusted the job with Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) to develop content for initiating online classes at the school level. The regular classes may begin in July.