Connectivity eludes student in rural areas

Cell phone connectivity is a necessity as schooling has gone online and children, especially in the rural areas struggle to get connected to the live online class. In some areas they have to travel some distance away from their home and it has become quite a common sight to find groups of students with books and cell phones seated by the roadside attending class. How long can this continue? We possibly have another year ahead of online classes and unless the connectivity is improved, students will have no choice but to sit under the blazing sun or pouring rain to attend class. Students in rural areas have even been attending classes clad in raincoats, which is borne out by the picture we have published in this edition.

Here’s what the government has done since last July to improve connectivity. In August last year it had notified the Goa Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2020, which aims to encourage establishment of modern telecommunication infrastructure and ensure good quality Internet network across the State, especially in remote and hilly areas. In January this year, it had promised to install 62 new mobile towers as part of its telecommunication policy to increase network connectivity in the State. In the second phase of the plan 138 mobile towers are slated to be set up. Since August last Public Works Department has cleared over 100 applications for installation of new mobile towers and no objection certificates have been given. Goa Broad Band Network (GBBN) has connected 190 panchayats and 225 office building locations as backbone connectivity. Telecom service providers have laid approximately 4,000 kilometres of optical fibre across the State.

Despite all this, connectivity remains a major issue that needs immediate attention. One recent good move is that the cabinet last week cleared a reduction in monthly rent to 10 per cent to cellular companies erecting mobile phone towers in rural/remote areas so as to provide better connectivity especially to students who are now on a second year of online learning. The mobile tower policy has been amended to reduce the rent for erecting mobile phone towers in rural areas to 10 per cent of the existing rent for the first five years and then to 25 per cent for subsequent year. Cellular companies erecting mobile towers this year will be eligible for the incentive.

The move to reduce the rent has been justified by the government stating that cellular companies generally avoid erecting mobile towers in rural areas as it is not profitable. The Chief Minister said that the PWD will give direct permission instead of only NOC to the companies desirous of erecting mobile towers only in government lands. Black spots have been identified vis-à-vis connectivity and companies are being urged to erect towers in these areas. PWD has identified rural areas and the government is insisting cellular companies to erect their mobile phone towers there. High rentals for government land and building which is not aligned with the one-time administrative charge for installation of Telecom Towers and the per kilometre of laying of optical fibre cables were some of the issues that industry had raised. If this reduction in the rentals helps, students may be the biggest beneficiaries of it.

The government has done its bit, but clearly this is not enough and more needs to be done. The Union government has been warning of not to ignore the predictions of a third wave, so it is obvious that online classes are going to continue for another few months. A tower cannot be installed overnight, so the problems are not going to be fixed quickly. In the meantime students have no choice but to continue attending their online classes from wherever they get range. Is this the best manner in which education should be imparted to the children? Heraldo