Jharkhand village school image: 'School at your doorstep' for kids with no online access
Teachers of a government school at a village in Jharkhand's Dumka have brought the classroom to homes of children who have no access to Internet for online classes. As schools are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic since March, underprivileged children in remote corners of the country are missing out on school as they do not have access to smartphones.
The teachers have created blackboards on the walls of houses in the village where the students live. Children are encouraged to maintain social distance in the open air classrooms.
"Education has been impacted due to COVID-19. Students here did not have smartphones. We started 'Shiksha Aapke Dwaar' (education at your doorstep) so that children don't miss out on education. More than 100 blackboards have been created on walls to teach students at their houses," a teacher told news agency ANI.
"Our schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we study in our village itself. Our teachers explain to us the concepts that we do not understand and clear our doubts," Parvati, a Class 6 student said.
Dumka Deputy Commissioner, Rajeshwar B praised the initiative and said that she will motivate other teachers to adopt this method.
Educational institutions are closed since March when the first countrywide Covid-forced lockdown was announced. However, in the Unlock 4 guidelines, the Home Ministry said that students of classes 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit their schools, in areas outside the containment zones only. This is on a voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers with written consent of their parents.