Students suffered a huge loss in education during the lockdown. The academic sessions were put on hold, examinations were postponed or cancelled, leaving lakhs of students without any way out. All educational institutions were closed, and students were confined to their houses. 

E-learning was boosted to fill the gap but students from low-income group families were far from availing such alternatives. Online classes are luxury for few but most it becomes a dead end. 

Students in rural India are left with no option and guidance for their studies. The Annual Status of Education report by a Nonprofit Pratham says that the states with poorer learning were also the ones where students had lesser academic support at home that they would need during the lockdown, such as educated and computer-literate family members. 

Physical classes and tuitions are their only source of gaining knowledge. In the absence of clear guideline during the lockdown, children got engaged in the household work, stone quarry and taking care of livestock to help their parents. Some of the children who are enrolled in the schools are also left out without any guidance.

The students after schools do not have any routine for their studies which is reflected in the State matriculation performance. 

Seva Kendra Silchar (SKS), a Caritas India partner in Assam has taken an initiative to start coaching classes in the Ailathal Village of Cachar District to support the students from low-income families. The coaching centre is run in the morning and evening hours also provide awareness on education, child rights, child marriage, childline etc as there have been many cases of child labour, child marriage and violence against women taking place in the villages. The coaching centre has been started by SKS last year and it has been functioning very well with 80 students from class I to VI.

The people have started taking interest to enrol their children in the school who were otherwise engaged in the household works etc. “The coaching centre is an inspiration for the children as they are learning many things from the coaching centre through games and other TLM. It is also great learning for the people as they are receiving lots of awareness and training in this centre” shared Sr Sherly, Chief Coordinator of SKS. 

“During the lockdown, the coaching centre was closed for two months in April and May 2020 to follow the government orders”, said Raphael Barla, Team Member, SKS. SKS has directed the coaching teacher to close the session until any further information from the government. 

At the beginning of May 2020, when Assam Government permitted the tea garden to function, people started asking the coaching teacher to resume the centre as the children are left without any guidance. SKS staff after the community meeting involving the Bagan (garden) panchayats, other village leaders and permission of garden management resumed the coaching centre. Following the guidelines of social distancing and masks, the centre started functioning with 50% attendance in June 2020. The centre is following all the formalities of keeping meeting minutes and records which is needed to start the coaching centre again after the lockdown.