Human lives have transformed a lot ever since the Covid-19 pandemic has struck the world. Most of our daily tasks related to either household, skills development, or professional career are now done online.
Meanwhile, the schools, colleges and universities are closed for the physical classes but tutors are still imparting knowledge through the online medium of studies. However, this online studies have not benefitted most of the students residing in the remote areas of the nation yet remained underprivileged to exercise their right to education.
In order to make such such students learn the lessons, a teacher from Jinouri village based in Bokaro district of Jharkhand is using the loudspeakers installed at the village temple to bridge the gap of education.
The loudspeakers that were used to preach the religious teachings or hymns are now being used to deliver lessons to kids. The teacher has been identified as Bhim Mahto, serving at Jinouri Middle School in Bokaro, turned the village temple into a classroom, and has been using loudspeakers to teach students while being at their homes.
Mahto has even put up posters of Hindi and English alphabets and other lessons for students from classes 1-3 at different spots in the village. For such posters he uses his own resources and in a move to clear the doubts of children, he calls them to turn by turn to the temple to avoid overcrowding amidst the contagious infection times.
When Mahto was asked about the notion of using loudspeakers he said the situation pushed him to take a different path. He realized that children were not getting benefitted by the online classes being conducted through WhatsApp as they were not able to understand things being taught on it properly.
“Besides that, some of the parents were reluctant to give smartphones to the small children while many of them did not have the access to it as their parents are too poor to afford it. Then, an idea came into mind that why not makes use of the loudspeaker at the temple which plays ‘bhajans’ every morning and evening,” said the teacher.
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For this, he held deliberations with the local village representatives who readily accepted his offer, he added.
“I have put several posters and banners of English and Hindi alphabets, names and spellings along with the pictures of animals, body parts, and other things as well, which is taught in the classes of standards 1, 2, and 3 students in the school,” Mahto said.
He added, “Students of a particular class are asked to come out of their homes at a particular time and stand before the posters and banners put for them on their doorsteps and teach them using the microphone which is transmitted through the loudspeaker placed on the top of the temple.”
In order to make sure that students have understood the lesson properly or not, Mahto calls them one by one to clear their doubts if any, Mahto added.
“Since, these classes are being conducted thrice a week, I have appointed some senior students as volunteers who guide the children in my absence,” said the teacher.
In order to encourage children to attend classes, I also bring chocolates, mangoes or biscuits for them, he added.
“Besides, teaching us in such an easy manner, Bhim Sir brings mangoes, biscuits, and chocolates for us. It is really fun to attend his classes. We wait for the class to take place everyday” said a class 3 student Navya Kumari.
Not only kids but parents also appreciated the initiative taken by Mahto at a time when the children have started to forget whatever they had learnt earlier as they are not going to school due to lockdown.
“This is really commendable that this teacher has taken such an initiative so that the process of education remains continued among the children. Since, the concept was quite convincing, we allowed him to make use of the loudspeaker without any second thought for this greater cause” said Mukhia of Poplo Panchayat Devanti Devi.
The Mukhia informed that there are a total of 30 students of classes 1, 2, and 3 in the village who are enrolled with Jinauri Middle School.