68% government primary schools in Ludhiana yet to enter internet age

There is no official provision to provide funds to make internet available at government primary schools

Even as the government primary schools are being equipped with smart technology, including projectors and computers, a majority of them still do not have an internet connection — rendering the tech advances futile for most.

Students at the Government Primary School, Chhawani Mohalla, in Ludhiana. (HT Photo)

As many as 680 primary schools of the district’s 997 do not have an internet connection, as there is no official provision to provide funds to the schools for the same.

Officials said around 120 schools that are cluster centres and host the offices of block primary education offices (BPEO) have internet connections. The rest with the internet utilise other portions of regular grants to pay for the same.

A primary school teacher not wishing to be named said it was primitive to think that primary schools do not require the internet, highlighting how nearly all schools have computer labs and projector rooms that need internet facilities. “Apart from academic functions, there are a number of administrative and data-related operations for which the schools need connections,” the teacher added.

Notably, primary schools are required to update the mid-day meal data on a daily basis and fill-out detailed surveys by the state and central government for which internet is also necessary. The teacher said as many as 20 primary schools in the city alone have over 1,000 students and maintaining their data and submitting all the surveys becomes a tiresome task without the internet.

Another primary school teacher, meanwhile, said they are forced to turn to mobile networks to enable the internet at devices, adding that schools located in far-flung areas in villages deal with the problem of poor connection regularly.

Sharing the gravity of the situation, the teacher said thefts have been reported at the primary schools in Jassian, Brahmpuri, Rangian, and Dehlon despite CCTV cameras being installed. The cameras, the teacher pointed out, required internet connectivity to broadcast and save the footage, adding “In the absence of the funds, schools are shelling out money from parent teachers association accounts to avail the same.”

Acknowledging that the department was aware of the problems being faced, district education officer (DEO, Primary) Baldev Singh said the rules do not accord funds for the internet for primary schools. He, however, added that they have conveyed the concerns to the education department.