Maybe we can ask our government when our educational centres are going to reopen. Will it be any sooner as more than 17 months have passed since they were shut with an uptick in Corona cases.
Why are they refusing to engage and involve the stakeholders in the consensus and consultation building process for the better of our students who have been at the receiving end ever since the start of the pandemic with subsequent lockdowns in place?
How does online teaching make them any better and in what regard, exposing the frailties and vulnerabilities in terms of access to resources, sharpening the existing divide and disparities between classes and communities, urban and rural, rich and poor alike?
Its scopes and prospects being limited than far-reaching as for the prevailing levels of literacy and inequality restricting its advantages, gains and benefits.
Negotiating and pursuing the objectives of the disempowered and disenchanted will remain incomplete for a state notoriously neglecting their claims and counterclaims of proportional representation when in the first place their dues have been vehemently denied to them, becoming bogies of arousal of political emotions, sentiments and sensibilities.
Restoring their pride and dignity is but necessary as the onus squarely lies with the government ensuring their welfare and empowerment than tokenism. Being captive voters is one thing and asking for rights and equality is another.
P.S.: Digital India can wait.