Upset over not attending online classes, 14-year-old girl ends life in Malappuram

KOZHIKODE: A fourteen-year-old girl studying in the 9th standard committed suicide after she could not attend the online classes conducted by the education department.
Devika, hailing from a poor Dalit family in Valanchery in Malappuram district, ended life on Monday evening. The charred body was found on a vacant plot around 200 metres from her house.Two bottles of kerosene were found nearby.
Devika's parents told media persons that the girl was upset as she could not attend the online classes as the television set in her house was not working. The family doesn't have a smart phone either.
The government had decided to begin classes online as the schools were closed due the lockdown announced after the spread of Covid-19. Classes in the state started on Monday on the government-owned Victers channel that were available online too.
Devika's father Balakrishnan told media persons that she was disturbed as she feared that missing the online classes will upset her education. "The TV set in our house is under repair and we only have an ordinary mobile phone. Devika was seen worried since the classes began in the morning," he said.
MLA Abid Hussain Thangal, who represent the area, alleged that the tragedy happened because the government didn't do the necessary preparations before beginning the online classes.
Education minister C Raveendranath has sought a detailed report on the incident from the deputy director of education. He assured that the online classes will be made available to all students in the state soon.