Turkish teacher goes door to door for pandemic pupils

Gamze Arslan teaches villages beyond the internet's reach

When teacher Gamze Arslan realised her students in Turkey's eastern Van province could not attend online classes because of the Covid-19 pandemic, she began to visit them at home instead.

''We have the internet at our school, but it's hard to teach because families don't have access to it at home,'' she told the Haberturk news channel.

''So now I teach by going door-to-door with a whiteboard,'' said Ms Arslan, who works in Van's Tusba district, where there are dozens of villages.

She returns the following day with new tasks and to make sure homework has been done, while maintaining social distancing and reminding her charges how to observe hygiene.

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Gamze Arslan has won widespread acclaim in the media, earning headlines like ''There may be no internet, but there is Teacher Gamze!'' on the Show TV channel.

And local officials have also been quick to praise her efforts.

''Our district is delighted to have an alternative to an impossible situation and feeling of helplessness,'' Tusba education director Mehmet Bakir Bedevioglu told Haberturk.

"Her actions are an example of sacrifice, and we hope an example of good practice," he said.

Most countries in Europe have re-opened schools, but Turkey plans to begin a limited return to class from 21 September.

Opposition parties and media have complained for months that lack of internet access is the main problem likely to face students.

Reporting by Ilgin Karlidag

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