Flood fury: Classes shift online, but power cuts hit learning in Sirsa

As floods continue to affect several parts of Sirsa district, not only agriculture but also school students’ education has taken a major hit.

With many villages submerged and roads waterlogged, the district administration has ordered schools to close temporarily, pushing students to online learning.

However, the shift to digital education is proving difficult. Frequent power outages and poor internet connectivity in flood-affected areas are preventing many children from attending their online classes.

On Monday, several private schools in Sirsa attempted to conduct online classes for students of various classes. However, unstable electricity supply and internet outages, especially in rural areas, disrupted sessions for many.

Seerat, a Class V student at a private school here, said she couldn’t attend her online classes because of an power outage. “I wanted to join the class, but nothing worked. There was no electricity,” she said.

Parth, a Class X student from the flood-affected Jhorarnali village in Rania, faced similar problems. “There is no electricity in our village. I could not even charge my phone or laptop, so I missed all my classes,” he said.

Aerika, a Class III student and resident of Sirsa, said she preferred attending school in person, but had no choice.

“I like learning in school with my teacher and friends, but, since my semester exams are coming up, I have to join online classes,” she said.

Her mother, Richa, expressed support for the administration’s decision to shut schools temporarily. “Nothing is more important than children’s safety. The administration is doing its job, and we must support it. Schools shouldn’t rush to reopen until things return to normal,” she said.

Avinash Mehta, the father of students Rohan and Niharika, said sending children to school in these conditions was risky. “It is raining heavily, there are chances of electric shocks due to the water, and the entire town is dug up for drainage work. School buses might get stuck. At least when children are at home, we can keep an eye on them,” he said.

Meanwhile Rajeev Utreja, principal of DAV Centenary Public School, said syllabi for the half-yearly exams had been completed, and students had finished their revisions. However, due to the ongoing situation, the administration had declared off days, so the school had postponed the exams, he added, stating that once the school reopened, teachers would revise the syllabus with the students again, and then announce new exam dates.

Utreja said the safety and security of students was the school’s priority, and the institute would only reopen according to instructions given by the administration in this regard.