The ‘Inside Districts’ series launched in April 2020 is a one-of-its-kind attempt to capture the experiences of district and Block-level officials, panchayat functionaries, beneficiaries, and frontline workers, on their challenges and best practices.

This interview was conducted with a parent in Solan, Himachal Pradesh in Hindi on 1 March 2021, and has been translated.

Q: Are you sending your child to school? Are you facing any issues regarding their studies?

Parent: Yes, I am sending my children to school. They have been sitting at home for a year now. Although they were attending online classes, I don’t think they have been able to learn a lot through that. There was a WhatsApp group where children used to send photos of their homework but teachers were not giving any feedback, so we could never know the mistakes that the children made in their homework.

Q: Are there any remedial classes planned for the children?

Parent: I don’t have any information about this. But I know that in some days annual exams are going to begin. I am only worried about what students are going to write in the exam since they have not been able to concentrate on their studies because of staying at home.

Q: Are children being provided with mid-day meals (MDM) in the school?

Parent: Children are not being provided with mid-day meals. A few days ago a mid-day meal worker was found COVID-19 positive and after that, the government banned mid-day meals in the school. Instead of MDM, children are being provided with ration and some money.

More experiences can be found on the dedicated Inside Districts platform.