A clip went viral on social media over the weekend after it featured interviews with many people standing in line around the moat. The main cause of the social buzz was the interview of a grandmother who was about to go and buy a smartphone just so her grandchild could study online.
Reporters went back to talk to other people suffering economically to find out what they thought of online learning.
Ployjai Saengsuwan, 43, a mother of two girls in university and highschool, said that she thoroughly agrees with the concept of online learning that the government is promoting, but that not all students can afford the tools to do so. She said that she herself has lost her massage job and hasn’t had an income for two months now.
She is unable to pay rent and has to come out to receive donated food to feed her family, often spending hours in queues each day just so that the three can eat. She lacks the time let alone the money to buy a computer, television, ipad or even to pay for internet.
While she would love to be able to help her children learn, she simply can’t.
Nuch Lommong, 45 another mother in the line said that her son is about to enter mathayom 1 and she is unsure how she can even think about affording his education, his uniforms or any other school needs he may have.