RaghuByte’s Two Hundredth Blog: More Perspectives on Free Expression

Once again, more than a fortnight passes; an aeon in the unfolding scenario on how we look at the freedom of expression.

I ended my last blog by asking whether platform provider-mediated regulation of the freedom of expression is an answer to the problem of fake news, conspiracy theories, and hate speeches. If it is not so, I had asked if there are other choices?

And in the last fortnight, we have seen – something that has become a feature that repeats itself with monotonous regularity – several deep questions that arise with respect to how the freedom of expression is being moderated.

We saw the incarceration of a stand-up comic by the police on the grounds that he intended to insult gods of a certain religion. When the individual approached the courts for bail, he was refused it. Instead, he received a sanctimonious lecture from the presiding judge. We also saw criminal cases being launched against the actors and directors of a serial that was being aired on a subscription channel – again – allegedly for hurting religious sentiments.

The Supreme Court, which earlier had intervened with alacrity to grant bail to a celebrity TV anchor even when petitions for the same were pending in lower courts that had the jurisdiction, refused to follow that precedent, instead directing the petitioners to go to the lower courts to seek redress.

We also saw violence erupting in the course of what might be the largest agitation seen in recent times. This was vigorously highlighted on mainstream media, even as social media platforms were showing that the violence was the act of a few, and apart from that isolated exception, the protest had been largely peaceful.

In the United States, we saw a smooth transition of power from one Presidential term to the other, even as there were conspiracy theories being floated by some websites that something devastating would happen on the day of the new presidential inauguration. The fact that nothing untoward happened, left deluded followers of that website devastated; something that usually happens when conspiracy theories go out of hand and then predicted disastrous outcomes fail to manifest.

I asked two people – one a decade older than me, and the other, slightly older than a millennial – how they saw the problems that arise from the freedom of expression gone berserk, and how they were dealing, or planned to deal with it.

I regret to say that both did not have a clear answer.

The older individual, who had taken to social media vigorously in order to further her political activities and extend her range of influence, told me that she intended to continue with her efforts. She found the internet useful to gain a wide range of perspectives.  Though she recognised that others might be deluded or misled to a level that might endanger them as also destabilise society at large, she felt that the answer lay in the use of the internet responsibly, so as to constantly cleanse the media of fake news, hate and conspiracy theories.

The younger individual explained my problem back to me, in her own 21st century language. The one interesting perspective she gave me was that the young, particularly the millennials (and the post-millennials, she said, a category that I did not know was upon us already) also had to deal with the problem of short attention spans. She said that even her generation (the late twenties to the early thirties) was attuned to receiving information in consumable quantities and therefore processed it at an accustomed speed, could not keep pace with the bombardment of information that the post-millennials had experienced ever since their tiny fingers descended on a smartphone.

When I asked the younger friend how she dealt with the information barrage, and in particular, the misinformation barrage, she said that she had completely tuned out television altogether. She asserted that most of her generation hardly watched TV now, and they preferred to get their information from the net.

That was a very interesting point.

Television requires licensing to start, and investments that need to be recovered, to keep channels going. Hence, they are dependent upon large budgets, which largely come in through advertising. When one is dependent upon advertising revenues for profit, then the incentive is to chase viewership at all costs. With that motive in mind, the focus is on sensationalism, and nothing can be as sensational as peddling hate, which, in turn, requires effort invested in misinformation and lies.

On the internet, budgets are not a constraint. There are no licenses to be obtained, at least in India. That in turn means that credibility could get back onto the front burner; it scores as a driver as compared to advertising revenue and the cheap sensationalism that is necessary to be peddled, in its cause.

Inherently, therefore, the less dependent the starting of a media stream is on initial investments and licensing, the greater seems the chance that it could see advantage in being credible.

Yet, the sobering reflection is whether those conditions also discourage the same pernicious tendency to sell hate and lies.

The answer is probably in the negative.

Which then again brings us back to the question; who will then cleanse the internet of divisive poison?

T.R. Raghunandan is an Advisor at the Accountability Initiative.

Budget Briefs 2021-22: Trends of Government Schemes

2020 saw unprecedented disruptions in India’s public system. As you will see from the new volume of our flagship ‘Budget Briefs’ series, welfare schemes have played an important role in this period. They prominently featured in the Government of India’s (GoI’s) policy response – from frontloading payments under the PM-KISAN farmer income support programme to additional provisions for the Mid-Day Meal scheme.

Yet, low revenues meant that many ministries had to significantly cut their budgets for the year, resulting in low releases and utilisations.

The situation was particularly hard on fronts such as nutrition and education. With the temporary closure of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) during the lockdown came the very real threat of an increase in malnutrition. Typically, an AWC delivers a range of services meant for the well-being of children, adolescent girls and women. Crucially, while funding increased for the scheme, both fund releases and spending were low with the pandemic’s onslaught. The situation has been similar in education.

From the section below, you will find links to download the briefs, and highlight findings from our analyses:

 

Education

  • Samagra Shiksha: With schools closed and classroom-based teaching halted, the potential of employing digital technologies has become clearer. But infrastructure for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) was low in most states prior to the pandemic and has been prioritised in plans by only some states. Download
  • Mid-Day Meal: Additional fund allocations have been made. For instance, ₹1,600 crore to provide MDM or Food Security Allowance (FSA) during the summer vacation. The pace of fund release, however, has been slow. Download

Nutrition

  • Poshan Abhiyaan: Till 31 October 2020, no state other than Nagaland had received any funds from GoI. Download
  • Integrated Child Development Services: The scheme has seen vacancies in sanctioned posts both before and during pandemic for two key positions – Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and Lady Supervisors. Download
  • Food Subsidy & National Food Security Act: As per projected population figures for 2020,  89% of estimated eligible people were covered under the NFSA as of November 2020 – 10 crore lower than legally mandated. On 26 March 2020, GoI announced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a limited period, to counter the pandemic’s impact on food security. Among our findings are significant state-wise variations in the offtake and distribution of foodgrains. Download

Health

  • Ayushman Bharat: Coverage of the scheme has been high. As on 15 July 2020, across India, 58% of eligible households were covered under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. A further 8% were covered by state schemes. Download
  • National Health Mission: To tackle the pandemic, a new package – the Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP) – was started under the NHM. Allocations of ₹6,028 crore were made by GoI, of which 99% had been released by 1 January 2021. Download

Rural Livelihood

  • Pradhan Mantri KIsan SAmman Nidhi: By 25 December 2020, GoI had released all three instalments meant for eligible farmers under the scheme, amounting to around ₹58,613 crore. This was 19% more than total releases made in Financial Year 2019-20 but only 78% of the year’s allocations (Budget Estimates). Download
  • Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: With additional allocations of ₹40,000 crore, MGNREGS’ budget went over ₹1 lakh crore, the highest-ever since the scheme’s inception. Even then, demand has outstripped provisions. For instance, by December 2020, 62% more households had sought work under the scheme compared to the same period last year. Only 76% of households that had demanded employment had been provided work. Download

Water

  • Jal Jeevan Mission: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in financial year 2020-21, several states had already committed to achieving the declared targets for JJM well before the scheme’s 2024 deadline. Yet funding for the scheme has been much lower than the amount initially approved by the Cabinet. Download

पॉलिसी बझ

कल्याणकारी धोरणात जे घडत आहे त्या प्रत्येक पंधरवड्यात प्रकाशित झालेल्या बातम्यांच्या निवडीसह अद्ययावत रहा.

 

धोरणा संबंधित बातम्या

  • प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजनेंतर्गत शहरी भागात 1.68 लाख घरे बांधण्यास सरकारने मान्यता दिली असून आतापर्यंत मंजूर झालेल्या एकूण घरांची संख्या 1 कोटी इतकी आहे.
  • शेतकऱ्यांसाठी डायरेक्ट बेनिफिट ट्रान्सफर (DBT) योजना सुरू केल्याने मध्य प्रदेश वीज क्षेत्रात सुधारणांमध्ये आघाडीवर आहे. या सुधारना म्हणजे शेतकऱ्यांना वीज अनुदानाची पारदर्शक तरतूद करणे होय.
  • पंतप्रधान कौशल्य विकास योजना-3.0, अंतर्गत सरकार कोविडशी संबंधित कौशल्यांवर लक्ष केंद्रित करून 600 जिल्ह्यांमध्ये कौशल्य प्रशिक्षण देणार असून येत्या तीन महिन्यांत 8 लाख उमेदवारांना प्रशिक्षण देणार आहे.
  • उत्तराखंड सरकारने मनरेगा अंतर्गत कामकाजाचे दिवस वर्षाकाठी 100-150 दिवसांपर्यंत वाढवण्याची घोषणा केली आहे.
  • विद्यापीठ अनुदान आयोगाने (UGC) उच्च शिक्षण संस्थांना आंतरराष्ट्रीय बाबींसाठी कार्यालय स्थापन करण्यास सांगितले आहे. ही कार्यालये “भारतातील उच्च शिक्षणाच्या आंतरराष्ट्रीयकरणाचा अविभाज्य भाग” असतील.
  • सरकार स्टार्टअपसाठी 1,000 कोटी रुपयांचा बियाणे निधी ‘स्टार्टअप इंडिया सीड फंड’ सुरू करणार आहे. ज्या मुळे स्टार्टअपचा विकास आणी संचलनासाठी प्रारंभिक भांडवलासह स्टार्टअपला मदत होइल.

कोरोनाव्हायरस-फोकस बातम्या

  • सरकार कोविड लसीकरणाच्या अभिप्रयाय प्रक्रियेसाठी रॅपिड असेसमेंट सिस्टम वापरत आहे. फीडबॅक सिस्टम लसीकरण प्रक्रियेदरम्यान सर्व निकषांचे पालन केले असल्याचे सुनिश्चित करेल.
  • भारत देशांतर्गत गरजा लक्षात घेऊन टप्याटप्याने भूतान, मालदीव, बांगलादेश, नेपाळ, म्यानमार आणि सियाचलिस यांना अनुदान मदतीखाली कोविड -19 लस पुरवणार आहे.

इतर

  • वर्ल्ड इकॉनॉमिक फोरमने जाहीर केलेल्या ग्लोबल रिस्क रिपोर्ट 2021 मध्ये असे म्हटले आहे की संसर्गजन्य रोग, पर्यावरणाची जोखीम आणि आर्थिक त्रास पुढील दहा वर्षात सर्वाधिक धोका आहे.

 

हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 24 जनवरी 2021 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.

पॉलिसी बज़्ज़

विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं में क्या घटित हो रहा है, इसको लेकर आपको हर 15 दिन के अंदर यह पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ अपडेट करता है |

 

नीतियों से सबंधित खबरें

  • प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के अंतर्गत, सरकार ने शहरी क्षेत्रों में 68 लाख से अधिक घरों के निर्माण को मंजूरी दी है, स्वीकृत घरों की कुल संख्या अब 1.1 करोड़ हो गयी है |
  • किसानों के लिए प्रत्यक्ष लाभ अंतरण (DBT) योजना की शुरुआत के साथ, मध्य प्रदेश बिजली क्षेत्र के सुधारों में अग्रणी है | ये सुधार किसानों के लिए बिजली सब्सिडी प्रावधान को पारदर्शी बनाने को लेकर हैं |
  • प्रधानमंत्री कौशल विकास योजना 3.0 के तहत, सरकार 600 जिलों में कौशल प्रशिक्षण शुरू करेगी, और अगले तीन महीनों में 8 लाख अभ्यर्थियों को कोविड से संबंधित कौशल का प्रशिक्षण भी प्रदान करेगी |
  • उत्तराखंड सरकार ने घोषणा की है कि वह मनरेगा के तहत काम के दिनों में 100-150 दिन प्रति वर्ष की बढ़ोत्तरी करेगी |
  • विश्वविधालय अनुदान आयोग (UGC) ने उच्च शिक्षा संस्थानों को अंतरराष्ट्रीय मामलों के लिए एक कार्यालय स्थापित करने के लिए कहा है | ये कार्यालय ‘भारत में उच्च शिक्षा के अंतर्राष्ट्रीयकरण का अभिन्न अंग’ होंगे |
  • सरकार स्टार्टअप के लिए 1,000 करोड़ रुपये का बीज कोष, स्टार्टअप इंडिया सीड फंड, शुरू करने जा रही है, जिससे विकास एवं संचालन के लिए शुरुआती पूंजी के साथ स्टार्टअप्स की मदद की जा सके |

करोनावायरस आधारित खबरें

  • सरकार कोविड टीकाकरण के फीडबैक के लिए रैपिड आंकलन प्रणाली (Rapid Assessment System) का उपयोग कर रही है | फीडबैक सिस्टम यह सुनिश्चित करेगा कि टीकाकरण प्रक्रिया के दौरान सभी मानदंडों का पालन किया जाए |
  • भारत घरेलू जरूरतों को ध्यान में रखते हुए चरणबद्ध तरीके से भूटान, मालदीव, बांग्लादेश, नेपाल, म्यांमार और सीयाचीलिस को अनुदान सहायता के तहत कोविड-19 टीकों की आपूर्ति करेगा |

अन्य

  • वर्ल्ड इकोनॉमिक फ़ोरम द्वारा जारी ग्लोबल रिस्क रिपोर्ट 2021 में कहा गया है कि संक्रामक रोग, पर्यावरण सम्बन्धी समस्याएं, और आर्थिक विपदायें अगले दस वर्षों में सबसे बड़े खतरों के रूप में शामिल हैं |

 

यह लेख पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण पर आधारित है जो 24 जनवरी 2021 को प्रकाशित हुआ था |

Policy Buzz

Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news, published every fortnight.

 

Policy News

  • Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the government has approved the construction of over 1.68 lakh houses in urban areas, taking the total number of houses sanctioned so far to 1.1 crore.
  • With the initiation of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for farmers, Madhya Pradesh is leading in power sector reforms. These reforms are meant to create a transparent provision of power subsidy to farmers.
  • Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana-3.0, the government will start skills training in 600 districts, and train 8 lakh candidates over the next three months with a focus on Covid-related skills.
  • Uttarakhand government announced that it is increasing the work days under MGNREGA from 100-150 days per year.
  • The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the higher education institutes to establish an office for international affairs. These offices will be an “integral part of internationalisation of higher education in India”.
  • The government is going to launch Startup India Seed Fund, a Rs 1,000-crore seed fund for startups, to help startups with the initial capital for growth and operations.

Coronavirus-focus News

  • The government is using Rapid Assessment System for processing feedback on covid vaccination. The feedback system will ensure that all norms are followed during the vaccination process.
  • India will supply COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles in a phased manner keeping in view the domestic requirements.

Others

  • The Global Risks Report 2021, released by the World Economic Forum, states that infectious diseases, environmental risks, and economic troubles stand as the highest risks for the next ten years.

Ways to Connect with Us!

Every year we, at Accountability Initiative, publish evidence-based research on government schemes, budgets, and matters related to public administration. We also leverage this research to promote public discussion. Our vision is to enable Responsive Governance.

Below are the ways in which you can access our knowledge offerings and be a part of our online community.

पॉलिसी बझ

कल्याणकारी धोरणात जे घडत आहे त्या प्रत्येक पंधरवड्यात प्रकाशित झालेल्या बातम्यांच्या निवडीसह अद्ययावत रहा.

 

धोरणा संबंधित बातम्या

  • केंद्रीय औषध आणि मानक समितीने (CDSCO) भारत बायोटेक आणि सीरम इन्स्टिट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया द्वारा कोविड –19 च्या औपचारिकरित्या लस मंजूर केल्या आहेत.
  • सांख्यिकी व कार्यक्रम अंमलबजावणी मंत्रालयाच्या मते, 2020-21 मध्ये भारताचे सकल देशांतर्गत उत्पादन (GDP) 7.7 टक्क्यांनी कमी होईल.
  • केंद्र सरकारने औद्योगिक विकासाच्या उद्देशाने जम्मू-काश्मीरसाठी ₹ 28,400 कोटी रुपयांच्या नवीन औद्योगिक विकास योजनेस मान्यता दिली आहे.
  • आंध्र प्रदेश आणि मध्य प्रदेशानंतर तेलंगणा हे शहरी स्थानिक संस्था सुधार लागू करणारे तिसरे राज्य बनले आहे.
  • पंजाब सरकारने राज्यातील शाळा-महाविद्यालयीन मुलींसाठी मोफत सॅनिटरी पॅड्ससह अनेक कल्याणकारी योजनांची घोषणा केली आहे.

इतर

  • भारताने संयुक्त राष्ट्र सुरक्षा परिषद (UNSC) च्या कायमस्वरुपी सभासद म्हणून आठव्या कार्यकाल सुरू केले. हे UNSC च्या तीन महत्त्वपूर्ण समित्यांचे अध्यक्ष असतील.

 

हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 10 जनवरी 2021 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.

The Policy Conundrum of Regulating Free Speech: Can Social Media Platforms Do the Job?

I ended my last blog five weeks back with asking whether, shorn of all other options, we are looking towards controlling the internet as the sole effective remedy against hate speech and fake news. I also wondered whether (if we adopt such harsh measures) we do not forsake the freedom of speech itself? Simultaneously, I resolved that I must be regular with my weekly blogs; slothfulness would be banished as I approached the New Year.

Alas, that was not to be! Every time that I sat down to write my blog, something earthshaking happened in the internet ecosystem, with dire ramifications on the political and social landscape of the world.

This is a cliché, but a lot has happened in the last month, which has a bearing on the question of how we can preserve a climate of the responsible use of the freedom of expression. I hate to use the word ‘responsible’, but there is no less offensive way to put it.

Witness what we have seen over the last week or so, in the USA. The sitting President, long of the view that his defeat in the recent Presidential election by his rival was an instance of an election being ‘stolen’, continued airing his views in language that was – to the reasonable viewer – blunt, unequivocal and often, offensive. His anger culminated in him and his team instigating their supporters to show their ‘strength’ on 6th January, which they proceeded to do by arriving at the National Capitol building in Washington, fully armed and prepared for violence.

They not only laid siege to the Capitol but broke through a flimsy cordon of security personnel and proceeded to damage the building and enter it with, what the world saw, was violent intent. Legislators who were debating the results of the Presidential election were escorted to safe passage, even as the crowd raised cries to hang the Chair of the session, the Vice President, and put up a gallows outside the building just in case their intent was in doubt. When the crowd was pushed back after considerable violence – five people eventually lost their lives due to this incident – the legislators upheld the validity of the election.

The President used social media to show his lack of repentance, and given the instigating tone of his statements, two of the largest social media platforms that he used with good effect – Twitter and Facebook – first took down his communications, and then suspended his accounts permanently. As of now, even as Impeachment proceedings have begun against the President, some say that he has announced his intention to start his own social media platform.

Let us tear our senses away from these stranger than fiction facts and focus on the implications of what the President said, to the response of social media platforms that he used. From a purist sense, the President had the freedom to express whatever he pleased, whether we agree with his statements or otherwise. That is singularly true of the USA, where hardly any curbs are placed on the freedom of expression. True, his utterances directly lead to this unprecedented attack on a seat of government by a violent mob, something that raised a hollow laugh in those who mocked America’s usual holier-than-thou posturing as the guardian of human freedoms. For that, his followers and he would face legal consequences, some of which are underway.

Yet, from the context of how regulation of the freedom of speech is best done, the response of Twitter and Facebook in banning the President forever from their platforms, has significant long-term implications.

 

The simple question, from a regulatory perspective, is whether a platform provider has the sole right to regulate content on the platform, and go to the extent of banning a user.

 

At first sight, that question seems to be a no-brainer since the platform provider is the owner of the platform, and anybody who uses it assents to the community standards prescribed by it. Any violation of these standards would invite adverse action, including banning – temporarily or permanently – from the platform.

Yet a closer look would reveal ambiguities and contradictions in this approach.

Consider this. A platform provider is not considered responsible for the veracity and the legal nature of all that is communicated on that platform. Both the US and India have similar legal protections in this regard. In India, this protection from the vicarious liability of the platform provider for the posts of their users was hard won through a Supreme Court judgement.

On the other hand, even as the platform provider enjoys immunity from legal consequences for the actions of their users, the platform provider also has the unilateral power to consider the content posted by users and take action to ban them from using their platforms if they so wish.

That looks decidedly unfair.

Furthermore, when a platform provider has the unilateral power to decide what violates community standards and what does not, it could be misused in ways yet unknown. We have seen problems with Facebook, for instance, in both India and the US, where they were summoned by legislators and grilled in hearings as to how they actually use their discretion to decide what is objectionable.

In India, Facebook’s reputation suffered when it turned out that a senior staffer was lenient to certain hate generating voices, ostensibly on the ground that taking a hard line against such voices might affect the expansion of Facebook’s business. The person concerned resigned from the company in the wake of these disclosures.

Therefore, if regulation of the freedom of expression by a platform provider is not an ideal answer, are there other choices? More of that in my next blog.

T.R. Raghunandan is an Advisor at the Accountability Initiative.

पॉलिसी बज़्ज़

विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं में क्या घटित हो रहा है, इसको लेकर आपको हर 15 दिन के अंदर यह पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ अपडेट करता है |

 

नीतियों से सबंधित खबरें

  • केंद्रीय ड्रग्स और मानक समिति (CDSCO) ने भारत बायोटेक और सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया द्वारा बनाये गए कोविड-19 टीके को औपचारिक रूप से स्वीकृत दे दी है |
  • सांख्यिकी और कार्यक्रम कार्यान्वयन मंत्रालय के अनुसार, भारत के सकल घरेलू उत्पाद (GDP) में 2020-21 में 7 प्रतिशत की कमी आएगी |
  • केंद्र सरकार ने औद्योगकी विकास के उद्देश्य से जम्मू और कश्मीर के लिए 28,400 करोड़ की एक नई औद्योगिक विकास योजना को मंजूरी दी है |
  • आंध्र प्रदेश और मध्य प्रदेश के बाद, तेलंगाना शहरी स्थानीय निकाय सुधार को लागू करने वाला तीसरा राज्य बन गया है |
  • पंजाब सरकार ने राज्य में स्कूल और कॉलेज जाने वाली लड़कियों के लिए मुफ्त सैनिटरी पैड सहित कई अन्य कल्याणकारी योजनाओं की घोषणा की है |

अन्य

  • भारत ने संयुक्त राष्ट्र सुरक्षा परिषद (UNSC) के गैर-स्थायी सदस्य के रूप में अपना आठवां कार्यकाल शुरू किया | भारत UNSC की तीन महत्वपूर्ण समितियों की अध्यक्षता भी करेगा |

 

यह लेख पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण पर आधारित है जो 10 जनवरी 2021 को प्रकाशित हुआ था |

‘I Don’t Want to Send My Child to School Right Now’

The ‘Inside Districts’ series launched in April 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 beneficiary in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh in Hindi on 23 October 2020, and has been translated.

 

Q. Are you willing to send your child to school?

Beneficiary: As of now, I don’t want to send my child to school. I don’t know who is coming to the school. I don’t want to put my child in danger!

However, I have filled the form that was given by the school, in which it was written that we are sending our child to school voluntarily.

Q. What kind of security and facilities do you think should be provided in the school, that will make you confident to send your child to school?

Beneficiary: I don’t want to send my child to school right now, but in case I am sending, there should be cleanliness and a facility to wash hands frequently.

It should also be ensured that children maintain social distancing, and everyone, including teachers and staff, wear masks all the time.

Q. How has the learning environment changed for your child in the last six months?

Beneficiary: We have to pay more attention to their studies now. I can’t understand much, so my elder child teaches my younger child. All of this has been very difficult for us because we are not very educated. This new way of teaching-learning is not good. Children are getting habitual of using phones all the time. It is much better if the teacher teaches in the school itself because they know what to teach and how to teach.

 

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