The pandemic has left no industry when it comes to wreaking havoc. The education system of India is no exception to this. However, thankfully for the 4G network available in almost all parts of the country, schools were able to rely on online classes. But, not every part of the country is sufficiently equipped to handle such situations, and the worst in this suffering were the rural and tribal regions. This is exactly the situation that the Karnataka government is finding itself in. The government is now seeking support from various telecom companies and looking at other solutions to aid education on the primary and secondary levels.
Karnataka Currently Serviced by 42,000 Mobile Towers
The fears of the third wave are already creeping on the population. This means that the schools will probably remain closed. As such, the Karnataka government is meeting with telecom companies to seek out options such as deploying telecom towers in the rural and interior parts of the state. EV Ramana Reddy, additional chief secretary of the information department, met with five telecom companies and said that the deployment of towers seems to be an expensive and time-taking exercise. As per a ToI report, Karnataka currently has close to 42,000 mobile towers, out of which 60% have been installed only in the last five years.
Govt to Tie Up With Civil Societies
The Karnataka government is also exploring other options, such as partnering up with civil society organisations like the Shikshana Foundation, which is founded by Prashant Prakash, a prominent technocrat. Under this hybrid model, if the network is not able to reach the students, then the volunteers from the NGO would be able to reach the students. Previously, the Karnataka government has also distributed tablets on the higher education level.
However, the tensions about the non-availability of the network are not yet allayed. CN Ashwath Narayan, the higher education minister, is also in talks with telecom companies to provide connections to Gram Panchayat so that there can be enhanced connectivity in these villages.
