'I can only access online classes near the window'

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Boran Vural, 9, from a village in the Black Sea coastal province of Amasya, is one of the many children who have difficulties in access to distance education, which has now become a part of the "new normal" in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He can only attend classes by putting his mother's phone in front of the window in their living room as there is no phone signal in any other part of their home, according to a report by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).

Schools were suspended in Turkey in mid-March, shortly after the confirmation of the first coronavirus case. Since then, distance learning through the internet and television has become the primary means of education, although some students returned to schools on September 21.

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The implementation of the distance education system has not been smooth as millions of students lack access to the internet, teachers' unions and opposition parties point out.

After Vural's teacher posted a photo of him on social media, Amasya Provincial Education Director Ömer Coşkun visited the child in his family's home and gave him a tablet.

"Even though it is difficult, I listen to my lessons and get notes, but I miss my school. I want to start school as soon as possible," said the child. (RT/VK)