Absence of internet: Exemplar teacher walks four kilometers daily to teach students
Anantnag: A government school teacher from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district walks four kilometers daily to reach to his students and provide them education despite the schools being shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ghulam Rasool, the teacher posted at Primary School Wehnard village, falling close to tourist spot Pahalgam has no internet facility and the students being poor do not have access to android phones.
The teacher realizing the shortcomings decided to offer his services and teach the students in open space so that their academic session does not go a waste due to the Covid-19 pandemic and closure of schools.
“All the students across Kashmir valley are studying through online classes. However, there are some areas including Wehnard where no such facility is being offered to students. If we also close our eyes to this situation the students here will see a complete waste of their one academic year,” said Ghulam Rasool.
“The school where I am posted has around 50 students and most of them belong to the tribal community of the area. If we don not come forward to help them, they will be at loss,” he added.
Notably, the village does not have the facilities that are available elsewhere.
“The students from these areas also come from humble background and cannot afford to take private tuitions,” added, a local resident.
He said that the teacher has taken his profession seriously and comes here every day to teach the students.
“After travelling by foot, I assemble the students in a nearby forest area and arrange their seating to maintain social distancing as well. This is Gujjar habitation are neither phone services nor internet is working here, so there was no option available for me than to teach the students using the traditional method,” adds Ghulam Rasool.
“Every day I call out to the students and take them to nearby forest which is around 200 metres from the school and we start our classes in natural surroundings and peaceful environs,” he adds.
Interestingly, the parents as well as the students are cooperating with the teacher.
“After the lockdown was announced I made it a point to visit the area after some days and talked to the people and the students and got them in touch with their studies,” he adds.
Jahangeer Ganaie
