Teachers of both the private and government run schools have though proven their capabilities and capacities to face the challenges of teaching-learning process even in the period of worst ever health crisis like never ending deadly covid-19 pandemic but the challenges of the teaching-learning process are rising day after day, month after month and year after year. Challenges of modern day online education are not just confined to Online classes, group video calls and online exams but the real challenge in the operation of online classes is to expand the operation of online facilities to both accessible and inaccessible areas of Jammu & Kashmir even after return of teachers and students to class room teaching. Teachers can’t fight emerging challenges of online education without accessibility of students to android phones and internet facilities as it has been experienced during back to back two covid lockdowns in last two years that most of the students in the inaccessible area of Jammu & Kashmir couldn’t take online classes because of their inaccessibility to android phones and high speed internet facilities. The authorities of the school and higher education departments haven’t so for resolved unending disruptions in the operation of WiseApp through Zoom meetings for conduct of online classes. Though focus of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is focused on changing the process of teaching-learning process for “Atmanirbhar Bharat” but inequality in online teaching-learning process can’t be reduced to the optimum level without the facilitation of the android phones and hassle free internet facilities to teachers and students of all inaccessible and accessible areas of Jammu & Kashmir at their own homes like students and teachers of several states and union territories of the country.
The irrefutable fact is that the facilities of computer labs and hassle free internet connectivity at the campuses doesn’t mean accessibility of students of both accessible and inaccessible areas to online classes but the online classes could be a success only after facility of android phones and high speed internet facility is taken to homes of both teachers and students in all accessible and inaccessible areas of Jammu and Kashmir. So one way or the other inequalities in accessibility of both teachers and students to android phones and hassle internet facilities have to be reduced faster than anticipated.
Unfortunately facilities of computer labs and high speed internet facilities are found only in schools and colleges of urban and semi urban areas of Jammu & Kashmir but not in the Government and private educational institutions of inaccessible remote areas. Forget about the internet facilities, even the power supply in most of the inaccessible remote areas is reduced to even less than six hours during peak summer months in Kashmir valley and the availability of power in such areas is reduced to just 1-2 hours a day in peak winter months. Since this is a reality now that hassle free power supply and facility of power inverters is also now must for the hassle free conduct of online classes, the power supply has to be improved for making online classes a success. Furthermore the irrefutable fact is that the facilities of computer labs and hassle free internet connectivity at the campuses doesn’t mean accessibility of students of both accessible and inaccessible areas to online classes but the online classes could be a success only after facility of android phones and high speed internet facility is taken to homes of both teachers and students in all accessible and inaccessible areas of Jammu and Kashmir. So one way or the other inequalities in accessibility of both teachers and students to android phones and hassle internet facilities have to be reduced faster than anticipated.
