Indian Prime Minister calls on schools to switch to online learning to save fuel

Speaking on May 11 at the inauguration of the Sardardham Hostel student campus in Vadodara, Gujarat state, Modi said: "Digital technology has made many things much easier. I would like to urge some schools to organise online classes for a while."

India imports about 85% of its oil consumption, making the country extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices. The escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States, as well as the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz - through which nearly half of the world's crude oil supplies pass - has led to a sharp jump in energy prices.

The Prime Minister described the situation as "one of the biggest crises of the current decade," comparable in scale to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Just as we came together to fight the pandemic, we will surely overcome this crisis as well," he said.

The call for online education is just part of a broader resource-saving programme. Modi also recommended returning to remote working practices in government and private companies, reducing the use of personal cars, prioritising the metro and electric buses, and also practising carpooling.

"We must make the smallest efforts to reduce the consumption of imported goods and refrain from actions that entail unjustified expenditure of foreign currency," the Prime Minister emphasised.

However, the idea has received mixed reactions from parents and experts. During the pandemic, online education produced mixed results: only 20% of surveyed schoolchildren found the remote format more convenient than in-person classes. Key problems included internet quality, family income levels and living conditions.