'Only small percentage of schools equipped to provide online education'

With information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure not being uniformly pervasive in India, only a small percentage of schools are equipped to provide access to online education, a representative of industry body FICCI said on Friday.

The coronavirus-induced lockdown across the country has prompted education institutions to opt for online modes of teaching.

"Schools have been impacted by COVID-19, facing closures that could last for several weeks. With ICT infrastructure not being uniformly pervasive in India, only a small percentage of schools are equipped to provide access to online education," FICCI's Assistant Secretary General Shobha Mishra Ghosh said.

She said several private schools have embarked on technological platforms to ensure continuity of learning and have made significant investments, with their teachers working overtime to keep students engaged.

 

"Schools are also attempting to protect salaries of all their staff. Under these circumstances, blocking cash flow of self-financed independent schools that are primarily dependant on school fees would be detrimental," Ghosh, a policy expert on education, said.

FICCI Arise, a collegium of stakeholders linked to around 100 private schools, has sought government support for these institutions amid the lockdown.

With the closure of schools on account of COVID-19, many institutions across the country have moved to online teaching, said Manit Jain, co-founder and director of FICCI Arise.

"This has meant that teachers have had to adapt their teaching and are working even harder than they normally do. In some states there have been orders asking schools to not force parents to deposit fees and to provide deferred or monthly payment plans," Jain said.

"At the same time it is important to be mindful that 90-95 per cent of school expenditure is fixed in nature and happens regardless of being open or shut. While this arrangement may work for a couple of weeks, if the situation does not improve soon it would become impossible for schools to pay salaries," he said.

"The government would need to take necessary measures to support institutions of learning such that the schools' future and the future of the country is not jeopardized in any way," he added.