Home WebMail
| Calgary -1.1°C
Regions Advertise Login Contact
Action News Action News
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
  • Canada
  • US
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Breaking News
  • Latest Updates
  • Featured
  • Live
  • Live Now
  • Is Russia’s war on Ukraine coming to an end? Putin won’t say
  • Pro-Palestinian hunger strikers face death in jail, doctors say
  • ‘Highly speculative’ that Trump’s new fuel rules will help drivers: Experts
  • Rubio says ‘progress but ways to go’ in efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war
  • Rubio: ‘Not going to have peace’ if Hamas can threaten Israel
  • India beat South Africa as warm up for T20 World Cup defence pounds forward
  • What will Trump do to protect the Gaza ceasefire deal?
  • Gaza’s tech workers contend with little electricity, limited internet
  • Amorim takes aim at Man Utd ‘entitlement’ as Mainoo saga rumbles
  • What’s driving Cuba’s largest exodus in decades?
  • Three killed in Taipei stabbing, smoke bomb attack
  • Hadi’s killing “chilling turning point” for Bangladesh
  • Israel, Lebanon officials meet as pressure mounts to disarm Hezbollah
  • Tragedy in Gaza as winter storm turns family’s shelter into rubble
  • Tens of thousands flee DR Congo to Burundi amid rebel takeover of key city
  • Rogue tankers in Singapore: What are shadow fleets and who uses them?
  • ‘We don’t care about politics’: Violence-hit Uvira locals just want peace
  • Moscow’s narrative wobbles as Ukraine takes back Kupiansk
  • ‘War on terror’ defence of Trump boat strikes doesn’t hold water: Experts
  • Trump live: US top diplomat Rubio calls Maduro presidency ‘illegitimate’
  • Liverpool have ‘moved on’ from Salah saga with Egypt star away at AFCON
  • LIVE: Israeli attack on school-turned-shelter in Gaza City kills six people
  • Protests escalate in Bangladesh after death of student leader Hadi
  • Putin labels EU ‘robbers’ over plan to use frozen Russian assets
  • Who was Sharif Osman Hadi; why is Bangladesh on fire over his death?
  • Is Russia’s war on Ukraine coming to an end? Putin won’t say
  • Pro-Palestinian hunger strikers face death in jail, doctors say
  • ‘Highly speculative’ that Trump’s new fuel rules will help drivers: Experts
  • Rubio says ‘progress but ways to go’ in efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war
  • Rubio: ‘Not going to have peace’ if Hamas can threaten Israel
  • India beat South Africa as warm up for T20 World Cup defence pounds forward
  • What will Trump do to protect the Gaza ceasefire deal?
  • Gaza’s tech workers contend with little electricity, limited internet
  • Amorim takes aim at Man Utd ‘entitlement’ as Mainoo saga rumbles
  • What’s driving Cuba’s largest exodus in decades?
  • Three killed in Taipei stabbing, smoke bomb attack
  • Hadi’s killing “chilling turning point” for Bangladesh
  • Israel, Lebanon officials meet as pressure mounts to disarm Hezbollah
  • Tragedy in Gaza as winter storm turns family’s shelter into rubble
  • Tens of thousands flee DR Congo to Burundi amid rebel takeover of key city
  • Rogue tankers in Singapore: What are shadow fleets and who uses them?
  • ‘We don’t care about politics’: Violence-hit Uvira locals just want peace
  • Moscow’s narrative wobbles as Ukraine takes back Kupiansk
  • ‘War on terror’ defence of Trump boat strikes doesn’t hold water: Experts
  • Trump live: US top diplomat Rubio calls Maduro presidency ‘illegitimate’
  • Liverpool have ‘moved on’ from Salah saga with Egypt star away at AFCON
  • LIVE: Israeli attack on school-turned-shelter in Gaza City kills six people
  • Protests escalate in Bangladesh after death of student leader Hadi
  • Putin labels EU ‘robbers’ over plan to use frozen Russian assets
  • Who was Sharif Osman Hadi; why is Bangladesh on fire over his death?
In Pictures: A dangerous climb for online school In Sri Lanka

In Pictures: A dangerous climb for online school In Sri Lanka

Teachers and schoolchildren trek for miles and climb a rock to access only internet signal available in remote village.

By Al Jazeera Published 2021-07-13 04:16 Updated 2021-07-13 04:16 2 min read Source: Al Jazeera
Explained Human Rights Science & Technology Education

Getting online school lessons for this remote Sri Lankan village requires a trek of more than three kilometres (about two miles) in dense bushes, sometimes visited by leopards and elephants.

The teachers and some 45 schoolchildren in Bohitiwaya then climb a rock to access the only internet signal available.

Information technology teacher Nimali Anuruddhika uses the signal to upload lessons for her students who have not been able to go to school because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students who also live in the village make the same journey to download online lessons sent to them by their teachers.

Not all have mobiles or laptops, with four or five children sharing one device.

Their parents, most of whom are farmers, often accompany their children. HM 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.

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 16km (10 miles) away.

In the village of Lunugala, some 60km (37 miles) away, adults escort schoolchildren to a mountaintop treehouse in a forest reserve. It is about 30 feet high and has internet access. They take turns to upload their homework and download lesson plans.

Schools in Sri Lanka have been closed for the most part since March 2020.

Authorities say they make every effort to provide all children with access to education, but Joseph Stalin, who heads the Ceylon Teachers’ Union, says at most 40 percent of Sri Lanka’s 4.3 million students can participate in online classes. The majority lack access to devices or connectivity.

Sri Lanka’s government on Monday began a campaign to vaccinate all teachers with a view to reopen schools soon.

Share this page

  • 𝕏 X/Twitter
  • 🔗 LinkedIn
  • 📘 Facebook
  • 💬 WhatsApp
  • ✉️ Email
Action News logo

Action News

A division of WestNet Continental Broadcasting

About

Part of WestNet N.A.

Action.News

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Action News Code of Ethics

Connect

  • Facebook.com/ActionNews
  • YouTube.com/@actionnew
  • Twitch.com/ActionNews
  • WhatsApp
  • Contact the Newsroom

© 2025 Action News™. All Rights Reserved.

Action News is a trademark of WestNet Continental Broadcasting. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

🔴 LIVE
Action News Live ✖
🔊 Click to unmute