A government school teacher, K Bairavi, from Tamil Nadu spent her saving worth ₹1 lakh to buy smartphones and sim cards for her students to help them attend online classes.

‘Due to lockdown, I have been teaching my students through WhatsApp for the last few weeks. But some of them do not own a smartphone and no money to recharge. This is why I decided to buy smartphones and distributed them to my students. The idea was given by my daughter. I have set up a blackboard at my house to record online classes for my students,’ Bairavi had said to the reporters.

Now, three teachers from the same institution, Elampur government higher secondary school have followed her footsteps to come up with a similar initiative.

Suresh, Selvaraj and Kayalvizhi, the teachers pooled in the money with assistance from some volunteers and contributed to purchase 28 smartphones and SIM cards. These gadgets were distributed to the students to bridge the digital divide, help them attend classes online.

On the positive side, when the information about the initiative reached Perambalur MLA R Tamilselvan, he stepped up to donate for 10 smartphones and SIM cards.

‘I received appreciation for distributing smartphones to students from various quarters, but what made me happy is that it is not one such incident. I am glad that MLA Tamilselvan also contributed. We will arrange more smartphones if there is a surge in enrolment of students,’ Bairavi added, reported The New Indian Express.

Science teacher R Selvaraj who offered eight phones said, ‘We know about poor students studying in the government school. My family particularly my son encouraged me to buy phones, so I purchased eight smartphones for my students.’

Also Read: Tamil Nadu: Teacher Buys 16 Smartphones For Students To Attend Virtual Classes