Distance education: Students primarily use mobile phones, one-third don't have access at all

Photo: AA

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Only 38 percent of the students have used computers or tablets to attend online classes while 62 percent relied on mobile phones, an opposition MP said, citing the Ministry of National Education figures.

Between March 2020 and January 2021, about eight-and-a-half million students accessed the ministry's Educational Informatics Network (EBA) via mobile phones, according to the figures.

"Let alone the nearly six million students who can't access EBa at all because they don't have access to the internet or a device, 62 percent of those who could access followed their classes on small mobile phone screens," said main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Onursal Adıgüzel.

Turkey switched to distant education after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in March. Face-to-face education was partly resumed at the start of this school year but didn't continue after increasing Covid cases.

"This period taught us that children who have computers, tablets, fixed internet lines moved one step ahead while the children of the poor and lower-income families paid the price," said Adıgüzel.

While the total number of students at primary and secondary education in Turkey is 18.24 million the EBA's capacity for live classes is three million, he noted.

He said 12.4 million students used the EBA between September 21 and January 22, which meant six million students did not use the system at all. (SO/VK)