How Radio Dhimsa is helping Odisha’s tribal students?

Source: DowntoEarth

Relevance: Can be used as an example in GS and Essay.

Synopsis: Radio Dhimsa is bringing school lessons to the poor tribal students in Odisha’s Koraput district who don’t have internet access or cannot afford a smartphone. The endeavor attempts to close the digital divide in imparting education amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Radio Dhimsa

• It is a community radio station set up by South Odisha Voluntary Action (SOVA), a Koraput based non-profit.
• Radio Dhimsa started broadcasting educational content for students in 2016. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 and when classroom studies had to be stopped, special education programme for children was started.
• It broadcasts educational content to over 2,000 students of classes I-V in 62 villages of six panchayats in Koraput and Lamptaput blocks.
• Most of the beneficiaries are the children of Paraj, one of the tribal communities in the state
• The organisation has developed education programs on Mathematics and English for primary levels. The program has been designed with the help of school teachers and education experts of the district resource group.
• All programmes are designed in Odia and Desiya dialects as entire tribes and non-tribes do use Desiya as a common communication dialect.
• The channel also has shows to create awareness on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and vaccination programme in collaboration with the Koraput administration.
• Why was Radio Dhimsa set up?
  • Lack of internet connectivity: Odisha State School Education Programme Authority started streaming live classes on YouTube from June 21, 2021. But hundreds of students, mostly in the tribal districts like Koraput, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Keoinjhar, however, do not have the internet connectivity to access the lessons.
  • Expensive smartphones: Poor tribals could not afford expensive smartphones