The preparation work for the commencement of online classes in the state started on Thursday with Principals, Headmasters, Teachers attending schools to ready the lesson plans and e-content for classes starting September 1 for private and government schools.
As per the guidelines, a collaborative adjustment learning system for e-education is being made available on Doordarshan, T-SAT network and the internet by the state government. Meanwhile, headmasters from schools in remote villages have been directed to make alternative arrangements by categorising and identifying the number of school children based on the availability of e-education resources like TV, smartphones, internet connectivity, laptop that they may possess.
Headmasters of various government schools and Telangana State United Teachers Federation (TSUTF) General Secretary Chava Ravi have however brought to light that as per a survey conducted in July, 39.6 per cent families didn't have smartphones, and 14.8 per cent families did not have even a cable TV connection to allow their children to watch lessons on government educational channels.
Rajasekhar Gaddam, Gazetted Headmaster of Zila Parishad High School, Thanikella, Khammam District said that in his school presently, 20 per cent of students have been identified to be in possession of smart phones with internet connectivity and about 50 per cent students can access TV in their households. "For the rest, we are trying to make arrangements with the Gram Panchayats to set up community centres for TV transmissions of lessons for students." He added however, that even the setting up of Gram Panchayats was becoming difficult because of lack of funds from the Government.
Another Headmaster of Zilla Parishad Secondary School, Sarapaka, Mrs. Thotamalla Rama said that they are trying to identify students with access to internet and TV connections and are in the process to guide students and parents in the villages about the time-table to be followed for the upcoming classes. She added that some teachers are even going to guide those physically who don't have access to mobile phones.
With the Telangana government instructing all teachers to start attending school, around 1.32 lakh teachers in the State will join duties. It is also estimated that there are around 24 lakh school children, a majority of whom, come from marginalised communities.
