Are Online Classes Really Effective in Nepal ?

First things first, what do parents say about the online classes? It’s not only that 7.1 million students are currently taking at least one online course. It simply means that the parents of these 7.1 million students are directly or indirectly investing for the course. Online classes are simply boon for the mothers juggling for job, chores and homework during lockdown.  

The lockdown has forced schools to temporarily shut down and students to remain home, addressing their 101 questions to their mothers. Now imagine the overworked mother juggling household chores in the absence of a maid or cook, and breaking time and again to do her own job if she is remote working all this while dealing with study help for their kids. It’s draining, to say the least.

And if any of the parents are working in the healthcare sector, the problem becomes even worse as these parents don’t get the time to connect with their children -- forget helping them with their homework. The situation is emotionally and psychologically draining for them.

In Nepal, the private schools are doing online classes regularly and giving homeworks too. Parents in a way are feeling secure for their children as the students are at least joining the online classes rather than doing nothing at all. But there are a lot of obstacles in a country like ours before it comes to online studies.

 Due to the outspreading of corona virus rapidly in urban areas, lots of people migrated to their villages. In a village there is less probability that someone’s home has an internet connection. Now we see the solution as data packages form Ncell, Ntc, etc. It would be common to stream standard definition video at a rate of 700MB/hour, with 1080 HD video at closer to 3000MB/hour, and 720p video about half of that, at say, 1500MB/hour.

Ncell has a package with video calls for Rs. 50 which can last for an hour of use in a day. Now there are at least 2- 3. And the second thing is if parents somehow manage to do all these, the network won’t run smoothly. The server has to control more than 150 videos and voices at particular times. But apart from all these, the students of private schools/collages are only getting this privilege. And the main reason for these schools and collages is so that the they can somehow convince the parents for the fees so that the teachers can also get their salary.