Jakarta – In an incident that highlights how the pandemic has heightened economic disparities, a woman in Jombang, East Java, has resorted to selling her goat in order to buy a mobile phone for her children's online learning.
Karlik, a 41-year-old housewife from Marmoyo village in Kabuh district, bought the phone for Rp 1.5 million (US$102.73).
"All lessons have been held online ever since the coronavirus [outbreak]. I had to sell the goat and use my children's savings to buy a cellphone," Karlik said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
Karlik's children also have to go to a neighbor's house to be able to participate in online learning, since her house does not have internet coverage.
Karlik said that she and her husband previously never considered buying a cellphone since internet reception was limited in her village.
"We hope that schools will reopen soon. Studying online is very difficult here since there is no internet coverage," she said.
Marmoyo village secretary Sumandi said that online learning was not efficient for students in his village due to the poor internet.
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, only a few villagers possessed mobile phones, he said.
A 2019 report issued by global mobile communications organization GSMA demonstrated there was a wide digital gap between people living in urban and rural areas. About 45 percent of Indonesians live in rural areas. (dpk)