The students of Shivalaya Secondary School, the only school for the visually impaired children in Parbat, have been deprived of online education. Eighteen blind children studying in the school’s virtually impaired resource class have not been able to get online education.
Even though the school started teaching online after the closure of school education due to COVID- 19, it has not been able to reach the visually impaired children. “We are facing a problem of not being able to include visually impaired children in the online classroom,” said Bhupendra Chapagain, the school’s principal.
Eighteen children who have been studying in the dormitory have now returned home due to COVID- 19. The visually impaired resource class now has students from Parbat, Myagdi, Baglung, Tanahu and Gulmi.
According to Chapagain, the problem is that most of the children studying in the school do not have the financial means to recharge their mobile phones on a daily basis and attend the classes.
Haridatta Sharma, a teacher at the visually impaired resource class, said that the school could not get them to participate in the online class even though they contacted them from time to time.
Hom Bahadur Chhetri of Mahashila Rural Municipality-5, Lunkhu, who is studying in class 9 at the school, complained that he could not study in the online class due to lack of money.
Chapagain said that the municipality has not listened to his request to help the visually impaired students in their studies.
In particular, the city education branch had been providing Rs 4,000 per person per month as accommodation expenses for the visually impaired students.
Due to the coronavirus infection, the monthly amount received from the city education branch has also stopped after the students left the dormitory.