The survey was done in the Northeast to study reading outcomes during Covid.(Representational)
Over 40 per cent students in the Northeast region had no digital device to help them take online classes during the Covid pandemic, according to the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report published on Wednesday.
The survey was done in the Northeast region to study the mode of education and reading outcomes of children during COVID-19 pandemic.
It was carried among students of Classes III, V, VIII and X and was found that the digital divide has been the sharpest in Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya where 48% of the students had no digital devices at home.
In Arunachal Pradesh, 43% of the students lacked a digital device at home. The corresponding figures for Mizoram and Nagaland were 39% and 37%, respectively. In Tripura, 46% of the students had no access to a digital device.
In Assam, 58% students of the surveyed students experienced anxiety and fear during the pandemic, while 61% experienced similar moods in Arunachal Pradesh. About 59% students in Manipur and Meghalaya went through the similar experiences.
The corresponding figures for other Northeastern states where students experienced worry, anxiety and fear were 54%in Mizoram, 62% in Nagaland, and 59% in Tripura.
Only 16% of teachers in Assam were found to have adequate instructional material and supplies, and the same percentage of schools were found to have adequate audio-visual resources. The corresponding figures for Manipur were 16% in both the categories.
The figures for other states were: 10% and 12% respectively in Meghalaya, 14% and 11% for Mizoram, 13% and 15% for Nagaland, and 19% and 28% for Tripura.
In Arunachal Pradesh, a mere 17% of the teachers surveyed were found to have adequate instructional material and supplies and only 23% schools had adequate audio-visual resources.