Height of education: Treetop classes .... Plagued by poor cellular connectivity, Pati was unable to connect with the students online

Subrata Pati takes an online class atop the neem tree.Picture by Abhijeet Chatterjee

Abhijeet Chatterjee, TT, 24.04.20, Bankura: The lockdown and poor cellular network have forced a teacher in a Bankura village to stay perched atop a neem tree for the better part of the day to teach students online.

Subrata Pati, a resident of Ahonda village in Bankura’s Indpur block, teaches history at a Calcutta-based private institute that trains civil service and other government job aspirants.

Confined to the village because of the lockdown since March 23, his trouble started when the institute decided to begin mandatory online classes for WBCS aspirants.

Plagued by poor cellular connectivity, Pati was unable to connect with the students online.

On the suggestion of some villagers, he climbed a neem tree and while sitting on the higher branches, he could connect with his students online.

Left with no other option, he set up a platform on the tree and every day holds classes from morning to evening.

“There is no cellular network at my home. Connectivity is feeble at most places in the village. To hold the online classes, I need proper Internet facilities. Left with no other way, I chose to climb the tree 500 metres from home. Once up there, I get good network connectivity,” said Pati, who takes online history classes for five batches six days a week between 9.30am and 5.55pm.

“I have fixed a cot atop the tree to teach students sitting there. Using several online platforms I take classes, send recorded video lectures and answer questions of students on WhatsApp groups as part of my assignments,” said Pati.

He leaves home after breakfast and carries with him lunch and adequate drinking water. “I take lunch sitting on the treetop during the half-an-hour break,” he said.

“Holding classes sitting under trees is popular in Shantiniketan but taking classes perched on a tree is a unique experience. I am enjoying it,” Pati said.

Asked how his students were reciprocating, Pati said: “Some of them will become bureaucrats in future and will have to deal with many problems. Many of them will be posted in rural areas. They are getting to know what plagues the country’s rural areas.”

Members of the local Hatogram gram panchayat said they faced problems sending important emails to the zilla parishad and district officials because of poor cellular network in the area.

“We have urged mobile service providers to improve connectivity here but nothing has been done,” said a panchayat member.