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Around 200 children have been pressured to travel 50 kilometers regularly from distant coastal villages in Maharashtra to reach an area with Internet connection to attend online programs after they’ve been hit first by COVID-19 lockdown after which by cyclone Nisarga.
Hit by a pandemic after which a pure disaster, the children had to deal with Internet disruptions since early June when connectivity alongside the coastal area of Ratnagiri district turned patchy.
But when even after a month the state of affairs did not improve, one in all many school college students lastly reached out to the apex child rights physique NCPCR for help.
The National Commission for Protection Child Rights, in flip, ensured that the connectivity is restored in the quickest doable technique by reaching out to cell companies and the district Justice of the Peace of the realm, NCPCR Chairman Priyank Kanoongo talked about.
In his letter to the district Justice of the Peace of the realm, Kanoongo pressured that the authorities must be sure that the issue will get resolved on the earliest.
“The commission has taken cognizance of a complaint received regarding poor and disrupted network connectivity along coastal area of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra, particularly in the area of PIN Code 415714, which was deadly hit by cyclone Nisarg on June 3, 2020 and since then, the residents of area do not have mobile and data connectivity,” Kanoongo talked about in the letter to the district Justice of the Peace on July 25.
“As a result, around 200 students are facing difficulties in online educational activities due to corona lockdown. Besides, the students are taking pain to travel about 50 kms a day to access data connectivity for their online education activities,” he talked about.
He sought the speedy intervention from the Ratnagiri district Justice of the Peace on the matter.
“I hereby draw the kind attention of DM, Ratnagiri to immediately intervene in the matter, make liaison and issue suitable directions to the cellular service provider concerned to get Internet connectivity restored at the earliest so that no child becomes victim of undue pressure or stress concerning their education,” Kanoongo talked about in the letter.
In a second letter to the district Justice of the Peace on July 30, the NCPCR sought an movement taken report in the matter.
“Since the children are facing problems in undertaking their online educational activities in absence/disruption of Internet connectivity in view of prevailing situation of COVID 19, the possibility of any child becoming the victim of taking undue pressure or stress concerning their education, cannot be ruled out,” the letter talked about. The cell companies have been instructed that the child rights physique “expect immediate intervention in the matter to get the internet connectivity restored at the earliest”.
Speaking to PTI, Kanoongo talked about the NCPCR continually adopted up with the authorities and ultimately the Internet connection in the realm was restored by one in all many cell networks whereas the rest of them assured that they might resolve the issue on the earliest.
“We intervened and wrote to the district magistrate and cellular companies and we dealt with it as a policy intervention in which NCPCR has to play a role in helping children. As a result, action was taken on a priority basis and internet connectivity of the village was restored,” he talked about.
He further pressured that it’s vitally crucial to assure barrier-free Internet facility for the children in these events.
“It is very important that if children are dependent upon the Internet for their education then it needs to be ensured that they get barrier-free Internet facility,” he talked about.
The nationwide lockdown induced by COVID-19 in March prompted colleges and colleges to switch to the digital world for educating and learning actions. But a weak internet penetration has turned e-education proper right into a distant dream for many children in the agricultural areas.
According to official statistics, there are over 35 crore school college students in the nation.
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