80% Govt School Students Did Not Get Online Education During Lockdown: OXFAM

In a survey by Oxfam India, over 80% of parents expressed that the online education was not delivered in government schools during the lockdown period. The report cited ‘lack of digital devices and digital mediums of education' as a key reason among others. The parents said they did not get books to complement the online-education that are provided only with the start of the session. The report also suggested that even teachers faced digital-divide. More than 84% of government school teachers struggled to teach through digital-mediums. Besides, students were also deprived of other entitlements such as study materials and mid-day meals. The finding stated 35% of students did not receive their mid-day meals amid the lockdown despite the Supreme Court orders. Of the remaining 65%, only 8% got cooked meals while 57% were given dry rations. The survey assessed 1200 parents and 500 teachers across Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.