Far and Near

Sep 6, 2020 | East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, Stories from the Field

Like millions of students across the country, the education of girls attending the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Musabani block, East Singhbum district, Jharkhand, was also severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (or KGBVs) are government-run, residential secondary schools for girls from marginalised backgrounds. Due to lockdown-related school closures, all the girls left for their homes at the end of March.  

As a result, learning shifted online. Some teachers used WhatsApp to connect with their students, while other students continued their learning through educational programmes on Doordarshan. However, what concerned the KGBV Musabani warden Pinky Kumariji the most, was a group of Adivasi girls, who lived in remote hamlets in hilly, forested areas and didn’t have access to a phone or a TV. So, she devised a solution to connect with these girls.