Ban on 4G internet has left irreversible impact on J&K’s Education
4G, Matter To Be Taken Soon: Div. Com
Matter Under Consideration, Final Call Will Be Made Soon: MHA
Masrat Nabi / Suhail Khan
SRINAGAR, April 12: The continuing lockdown necessitated due to COVID-19 pandemic has crippled life across Jammu and Kashmir especially leaving an irreversible impact on its education system.
What has added to this natural disaster is the government’s lack of will to restore the high speed mobile internet, putting a huge question mark on its claims of arranging online class for the students’ community.
Students in Jammu and Kashmir especially in Kashmir valley are staying indoors since August 5, 2019 as the government had feared backlashes due to its decisions of abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A. However, their stay got prolonged due to the winter break and now the spread of Coronavirus has minimized their chances of going to school at least by the end of this month.
Though the teachers in many schools including those run by the government came forward with an initiative to prepare lesson plans for holding online classes for their students, the lack of 4G internet has played a spoiler.
This was corroborated by none other than Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, Principal Secretary School Education, who expressed his view on Twitter on April 10, 2020 while sharing the data about the number of textbooks distributed among the students in J&K.
“kids have no ipads/no access to desktops; cant download text books as internet is slow (sic),” Samoon wrote on his personal Twitter handle.
Students are not even able to go for online classes through live interactions because of low-speed 2G internet service which has made it difficult even to download lessons prepared by their teachers.
“We couldn’t begin the online classes for the students after the schools were shut. We thought of imparting education through our software platforms but that is not possible. The lack of high-speed internet connectivity is making it difficult for our students to access the videos lessons that have been prepared by their teachers,” the principal of Islamic Model School Sopore told Kashmir Despatch.
Few students who talked to Kashmir Despatch complained that most of their times are spent trying to download online content put up by their colleges or schools but all in vain. “We are not begging for some luxury. We just demand our fundamental right in terms of 4G mobile internet which is available to all other students in the country,” Basit Ahmad, a student of Government Degree College Baramulla told Kashmir Despatch.
Some students appealed government to restore the high-speed 4G mobile internet connectivity in Kashmir so that they do not miss the opportunity to benefit from the online class during the lockdown period.
“Online education could have heavily compensated for the losses of our children but unfortunately the government seems to be in no mood to relent or even acknowledge our problems,” Abdul Hamid, a parent opined while talking to Kashmir Despatch.
He said that the situation in Kashmir seems like people are living in stone ages. “All the government claims of smart classrooms, online lectures have fallen flat due to the non-availability of high-speed internet. Our students are being denied the opportunity to gain knowledge and compete with the world,” Saima Farooq, a Ph.D. scholar told Kashmir Despatch.
A professor working in degree college Baramulla observed that the internet is a tool that helps everyone to gain knowledge from different universities, colleges, journals over in the modern-day world. “It is really unfortunate when the whole world is making advances in different fields with the help of high-speed internet, Kashmiris are being denied even high-speed mobile internet,” he added.
Baseema Aijaz chairperson Shah Rasool Memorial School, while talking to Kashmir Despatch, said, “The virtual classes for students can only be done through enhancement of technology and better connectivity.”
She also added that the 4G internet speed would be useful in ensuring information flow to the people in view of the COVID-19 pandemic disease. “The 4G internet will not only prove beneficial for the students community but will also help the people particularly the government to fight its battle against the spread of Coronavirus.”
Shakir Ashraf chairman of Sanctorum a private institution in North Kashmir’s Sopore town told Kashmir Despatch that during the lockdown period everyone is under threat not only because of the deadly virus but being unable to differentiate between fake news, rumor and credible information.
He said: “We tried our best to reach out to our students through YouTube, Facebook with live lectures and recorded videos of their class work but unfortunately were unable to deliver as non among us is having an access to high speed internet which directly affects life of our younger generations.”
When contacted, the divisional commissioner Kashmir Mr. Pandurang Kondbarao Pole told Kashmir Despatch, said: “As of now by using 2G Internet speed, many services are accessible. However, the general public demands restoration of 4G internet services and the matter has been taken up with the government already.”
However, well-placed sources in the ministry of home affairs told Kashmir Despatch that the government of India is looking into the issue but a final call is yet to be taken in this regard.
