NAWALPUR, SEPTEMBER 12

Stakeholders here have concluded that online education system was not effective for students in rural area though Nawalpur is not a remote district compared to other parts of Nepal mobile network does not work well in some parts of the district. This has questioned the relevance of online teaching- learning, according to teachers, guardians and students.

Ajita Pokhrel from Brahmasthan of Madhyabindu-3, said online education was not practical for her. A student of Saptagandaki Multiple Campus, Bharatpur, Pokhrel said, “Even mobile phones do not connect to the network here.

How can I take online class?”

She said she was not able to talk to her friends and teachers but just read the books.

Improvement of network quality is imperative before advocating online education, she said. Chief of Kolhuwa Multiple Campus in Chanauli Narayan Aryal said hardly 30 percent students had access to online education. Although online education could be the best alternative education in the city area, it was not practical for Nepali students, he said, adding, “Poor internet access is a major hindrance to online education.” He further said internet speed required for running social networking sites did not work for formal e-learning.

According to him, distant learning with the use of television and radio could, however, be a better option where the internet does not work well.

A guardian, Bawani Gurau from Kawasoti-17, said most of the guardians were unable to afford online class for their children.

Feature Image: File

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 13, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.