Unable To Attend Online Class Due To The Lack Of TV Or Mobile, Kerala Student Commits Suicide

In a tragic incident, a Class 10 student from Kerala's Malappuram district committed suicide as she was not able to attend online classes. Devika a resident of the Mankeri Dalit colony in Walanchery committed suicide on Monday, the same day when Kerala government launched 'First Bell' a virtual class for school students, who could either watch it on a dedicated TV channel Kite Victers or online platforms.

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But for Devika, there were no options to attend the class as the TV set at home was not functional and her father, a daily wage worker who had been without a job for nearly two months did not have a smartphone.

So on Monday when the majority of the students in Kerala were in front of their TVs or smartphones, Devika became upset and left home. When she did not come back for a long time, the family started looking for her and her charred body was found on a vacant plot around 200 metres from her house. Two bottles of kerosene were found nearby.

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The police have also found the suicide note of Devika, in which she had written 'I am going' in a notebook.

According to Devika's father Balakrishna, he was unwell and had promised that he will fix the TV as soon as he is able to work again. Kerala Education Minister C Raveendranath has sought a detailed report on the incident from the deputy director of education. He assured that the online classes will be made available to all students in the state soon.

Ever since the Kerala Government proposed the idea to take the class online several people had raised this concern and said that those who cannot afford TVs and smartphones or live in areas with poor network connectivity will be left out. A survey by the General Education Department found that around two lakh students do not have access to the facilities.

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Faced with a similar situation, a school in Kozhikode District came forward and with the help of a charity distributed new tabs for students without smartphone or TV at home.

On Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised all arrangements for students to access the e-classes. Teachers had been asked to ensure that no student was deprived of them. Kerala government has also proposed to set up community classes for students.

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Meanwhile, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has said that he would like to extend his support and assistance in the procurement of devices for students who have no access to TV and smartphones in his constituency. In a letter to the district collector, Gandhi said that online classes pose significant challenges for students with limited access to smartphones, computers and reliable internet connections.