India: against dropping out of school linked to Covid, free street lessons in New Delhi
Audio 01:16
Under the pillars of the bridge that crosses the Yamuna River in New Delhi, around 100 children are learning English.
© Côme Bastin / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
In India, some schools have been reopening timidly since January.
But dropping out of school due to health restrictions remains very high, especially at the primary level.
In New Delhi, locals are giving free outdoor lessons to children who cannot access online lessons.
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With our correspondent in New Delhi,
Côme Bastin
Under the pillars of the bridge that crosses the Yamuna river, there are a hundred little children learning English.
At not even 18, Kuldeep Maurya is part of the volunteers of Panchsheel, a free school in New Delhi for the poorest.
She is now trying to cope with the dropout rate linked to Covid-19.
“
We resumed lessons in September.
Today, schools were allowed to reopen in the morning.
But here there isn't one open for miles.
It is a part of the city where people make a living from agriculture.
These children cannot go to study elsewhere,
”she explains.
Online courses are in principle planned in India.
But according to government statistics, only 8% of households including a young person have access to an internet connection.
A little further on, Veena Gupta, a retiree, gives free primary-level lessons, right on the sidewalk.
“
During the month of May I realized that while their parents were working, these children did not have access to online courses.
So me and my husband wanted during this pandemic to improve the lot of these
disadvantaged children.
"
According to the annual Education Status Study, the number of children aged 6 to 10 excluded from the school system has increased from 2% to 5% following the pandemic in India.
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To read also: Coronavirus: India cuts in its school programs
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