Courtney DittmarJuly 15, 2021Comment

In Sri Lanka, a dangerous climb for online school

Courtney DittmarJuly 15, 2021Comment

Getting online school lessons for residents of a remote Sri Lankan village requires a trek through dense bushes sometimes visited by leopards and elephants.

The teachers and about 45 schoolchildren in Bohitiwaya then climb more than 3 kilometers (2 miles) to the top of a rock to find an internet signal.

Information technology teacher Nimali Anuruddhika uses the signal to upload lessons for her students who haven't been able to go to school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The students who also live in the village make the same climb to download online lessons sent to them by their teachers.

Not all have mobile devices or laptops, with four or five children sharing one device.

A Sri Lankan student attends her online classes from a signal reception point on a mountain in a reserve forest in Lunugala, Sri Lanka, July 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan students walk down from a nearby mountain after attending their online classes in Bohitiyawa village in Meegahakiwula, Sri Lanka, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A Sri Lankan woman holds her smart phone for her daughter to take online classes from a signal reception point on a mountain in a reserve forest in Lunugala, Sri Lanka, July 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Their parents, most of whom are farmers, often accompany their children. H.M. Pathmini Kumari, who accompanies his sixth-grade son, said the children climb the rock twice a day and their safety is a big concern for parents.

The village in the central-eastern part of the island country lacks basic amenities, and its children had been studying in a government school, now closed, that is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) away.

In the village of Lunugala, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) away, adults escort schoolchildren to a mountaintop treehouse in a forest reserve. It's about 10 meters (30 feet) high and has internet access. They take turns uploading their homework and downloading lesson plans.

A Sri Lankan man helps his son to put his bag on his back as they prepare to climb a mountain with others to access online lessons in a reserve forest in Lunugala, Sri Lanka, July 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan students sharing smart phones access their online lessons on a mountain top in a forest reserve in Bohitiyawa village in Meegahakiwula, Sri Lanka, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A Sri Lankan student attends her online classes from a tree house where the mobile signal are receptive on a mountain in a reserve forest in Lunugala, Sri Lanka, July 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A Sri Lankan man climbs a rock in a forest reserve with a child to access the child's online classes in Bohitiyawa village in Meegahakiwula, Sri Lanka, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Schools in Sri Lanka have been closed for the most part since March 2020.

Authorities say they make every effort to provide all children access to education, but Joseph Stalin, who heads the Ceylon Teachers’ Union, says at most 40% of the country's 4.3 million students can participate in online classes. The majority lack access to devices or connectivity.

Sri Lanka’s government on Monday began a campaign to vaccinate all teachers with a view to reopening schools soon.