Ruksana, 16, woke up at 10 am on Friday, ate a hurried breakfast, and left home in Makanpur, a neighbourhood in Ghaziabad, to join her mother at work, cleaning utensils at nearby kothis.Her day would usually not start like this. The Class 9 student of Home Science and Music would be at Balika Inter College, hitting the books. But with schools shut for the Kanwar Yatra for 10 days, she was left to study on her own.Taking cover from the rain under a tree, she said: “The teacher keeps sending work on the school WhatsApp group, but I haven’t seen any messages posted since August 3. I study from the books… what can we do if there is no phone?”The only phone at home belongs to her mother, who takes it to work and returns late.On August 4, the Ghaziabad District School Inspector ordered all schools in the district to remain closed till August 12, citing the movement of Kanwariyas in large numbers on various routes and the safety of students.Several schools moved to online classes or send work through WhatsApp groups. But many children either don’t have a smartphone, uninterrupted access to it, or someone who can help them understand what is being taught.Half a kilometre away in Gyan Khand III, Arun Kanojiya, a Class 7 student, solved a math problem. Though he hates the subject, his teachers at school used to help him.Story continues below this adWith three other siblings, his chance to open the school WhatsApp group on his father’s phone comes at 3.30 pm. Arun, a Class VII student, solves a Math problem at his home in Ghaziabad. (Express Photo by Drishti Jain)“My father works at a gym… he leaves home at 5 am and comes back at 3 pm. I then study till 4.30 pm, after which my brother, who is in Class 9, uses the phone,” he said, adding that his mother uses a button phone.Studying the math concept of ‘HCF’ and ‘LCM’, he said he turned to ChatGPT to explain it to him.‘Find Product 29.0 X 31.8,’ he typed, before noting down the answer in the notebook.Story continues below this adHe added that for other subjects, the teacher posts pictures of the pages and marks the paragraphs they need to study.“The problem is that I’m not able to understand the concepts. In class, I could raise my hand and clear my doubts,” he said.His family is originally from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh.While Ruksana and Arun get homework, three brothers who live a few lanes away have not received any since school closed.They study at a government school in Gyan Khand III.Story continues below this adTheir father, Rashid (30), a painter, was worried: “My elder one (in Class 8) studied regularly for a month… Now after this 10-day break, he’ll forget what he was taught.”The family is from Purnia in Bihar.Glancing at the youngest one who is in Class 3, Rashid asked: “If they don’t learn now, when will they? In winters when schools shut due to the pollution, teachers used to hold online classes till 10 pm… sometimes stretching till midnight. But if they don’t get work from school, what will they do?”Basic Shiksha Adhikaari, O P Yadav told The Indian Express that schools decide which medium they want to use to continue teaching during such times. It could be online classes, sending work online, or assigning work before the holiday starts.“We’ve given directions that homework is to be given so that every child is nipun (skilled) and that the level of learning according to the class is maintained despite such breaks,” he said.Story continues below this adHe added that schools are regularly monitored by both State Resource Group (SRG) and Academic Resource Persons (ARP), who are responsible for visiting schools and conducting student assessments.Back at Makanpur, the rain had eased. Ruksana set off again.“A day before school opens, I’ll sit the entire night and complete the work,” she smiled.