Over 65 % students not attending online classes

More than 65 per cent of students enrolled in Government-run schools across the State do not have access to online classes, officials from the school education and literacy department said on Saturday.

“Around 42 lakh students are enrolled in Government schools across the State and only 14 lakh of them are attending online classes over WhatsApp,” said State Programme Officer for quality education, Abhinav Kumar. The reason Kumar cited for the poor figures was the lack of access to smartphones in households, especially in rural areas.

State launched the Digi Sath initiative, which used WhatsApp as a platform for imparting lessons to students online during the lockdown. Students can also access classes on Doordarshan.