During the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting limitations, students in Nagpur's Danteshwari Nagar slum are suffering from technological inaccessibility, which has prevented them from attending online classes. Several parents expressed their frustration at not being able to equip their children with smart phones, which have become a necessary item to have.
"Since the schools have shuttered, pupils' lives have been significantly disrupted. We are unable to keep an eye on our children because we are labourers. We were told that kids were studying when they went to school. Many other parents in the slums shared the same plight.
According to Nand Kumar Verma, "We are unable to purchase smartphones. We only have one phone that we need to bring to work with us. We don't make enough money to get them a smartphone. For our children, studying from schools is a more convenient option. Things have become more complicated as a result of online classes. We are day labourers and are unable to assist them with their schooling."
"Some of their teachers come and tell us that we should give mobile phones to the children; however, this is not possible because our contractor calls us to give work during the day, and we need to keep it with us; we are afraid of how they will get admission to higher education; we fear they will become labourers like us," she said.