Poor boy commits suicide as he could not do online class due to lack of smartphone

June 23: The outbreak of coronavirus pandemic followed by nationwide lockdown has brought in sea changes in various aspects. All educational institutions are shut since 16 March. The government has urged upon the schools, colleges and universities to go digital. Online classes has become the order of the day. Smartphones have become a prerequisite for the distant learning mode. Unable to attend online classes due to lack of smartphone led a teenager to end his life in Assam.

A 15-year-old Class X student in Western Assam’s Chirang district allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday morning. The boy was found hanging from a tree near his house. Belonging to a poor family, the boy was unable to purchase a smartphone. But he was supposed to join online classes. He was a student of Tukrajhar High School in Chirang. Being driven by poverty, he thus failed to attend the digital classes. Finally, he ended his life. A resident of the Salbari village under Runikhata police station in Chirang district where the boy resided narrated the incident.

A suicide note was also recovered by the police, wherein the teenager mentioned that he was in great stress as he failed to join online classes for not having a smartphone.

Issues of engaging students online has really baffled educationists with many pointing out that India is not yet prepared for online mode of education. In an article in a leading web portal, eminent scientist Prof. CNR Rao spoke against introducing online classes for children in view of the COVID-19 induced close-down of schools, underlining the importance of human interface for good communication and inspiring young minds. A somewhat similar view was expressed by Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University, when he said, “E-learning can complement but not replace direct teaching-learning process.”

A Government of India study itself refers to 55,000 villages without mobile phone coverage. while digital literacy in India is hardly 10 percent of the population and only 26 percent of the population has access to internet connectivity in one way or another. In such circumstances, web-based learning may deepen the inequalities in the education system of our country.