In Pics | A dangerous climb for online school in Sri Lanka
In the village of Lunugala, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) away, adults escort schoolchildren to a mountaintop treehouse in a forest reserve. It's about 30 feet high and has internet access. They take turns to upload their homework and download lesson plans.
Associated Press
July 13, 2021 / 15:45 IST
1/10
Getting online school lessons for residents of this remote Sri Lankan village requires a trek through dense bushes sometimes visited by leopards and elephants. (Image: AP)
2/10
The teachers and some 45 schoolchildren in Bohitiwaya then climb more than 3 kilometers (2 miles) to the top of a rock to find an internet signal. (Image: AP)
3/10
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. (Image: AP)
4/10
Not all have mobiles or laptops, with four or five children sharing one device. (Image: AP)
Their parents, most of whom are farmers, often accompany their children. H.M. Pathmini Kumari, who accompanies his sixth-grade son, says the children climb the rock twice a day and their safety is a big concern for parents. (Image: AP)
6/10
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 some 16 kilometers (10 miles) away. (Image: AP)
7/10
In the village of Lunugala, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) away, adults escort schoolchildren to a mountaintop treehouse in a forest reserve. It's about 30 feet high and has internet access. They take turns to upload their homework and download lesson plans. (Image: AP)
8/10
Schools in Sri Lanka have been closed for the most part since March 2020. (Image: AP)
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 Sri Lanka's 4.3 million students can participate in online classes. The majority lack access to devices or connectivity. (Image: AP)
10/10
Sri Lanka’s government on July 12 began a campaign to vaccinate all teachers with a view to reopen schools soon. (Image: AP)
