Couple's free online classes become a huge hit, minister promises help

An octogenarian couple's efforts to conduct online classes for poor students, who got cut off from education during the Covid-19 pandemic, has caught the attention of the government with the Karnataka education minister set to help them with bringing volunteers as well as mobilising technical infrastructure to poor students.

Badrinath Vittal (83), a retired civil engineer, and Indira Vittal (78) a voluntary teacher started teaching the two children of their house maid during the beginning of the lockdown. As the number of their students grew to eight, they shifted their classes to online platforms.

"Teaching was a passion I picked up from my wife," Badrinath, an MTech Graduate from IIT Bombay, told DH, "As a hydraulic engineer, I worked for construction of big dams and I realised the importance of building the education foundation for children during Covid-19," he said.

Their confidence grew after Yashaswiini PN, daugher of the maid, showed progress in her studies. "We saw her results improving gradually in each test and decided to bring other children on board," Indira said.

After Prajavani, DH's sister publication, reported about their work on Wednesday, more than 400 students or their parents called from rural areas of Doddaballapur to Gangavathi in Koppal district, expressing interest in joining their classes.

"We are worried about those who do not have smart phones or laptops. Students should not be denied education because they can't afford gadgets. We hope corporate companies and donors will come forward to help children in rural area.

Education Minister S Suresh Kumar, who spoke to the couple, told DH that he has already initiated a discussion with the IT department of the government. "Many people buy gadgets every six months. Together with some friends, I am trying to start a movement to convince people to donate their old smartphones. We need reliable internet in rural areas and I have spoken to the IT department in this regard," he said.

Suresh Kumar said he will visit the Vittals within a week to understand their requirements, including volunteers, to expand the programme.