The lockdowns and the subsequent shutdown of schools and higher instructional institutes took a toll on the learning process of numerous students. In the process of doing so, many throughout the nation and the world innovated special efforts to help students continue with their education.

Here are a few of them:

Hand-painted walls as a medium of learning

I did not desire students to lose a scholastic year, hence I began carrying out free al fresco classes in Srinagar citys Eidgah. With only a few students in the beginning, the al fresco classes began to draw in numerous from distant areas.

For such students, Srinagar-based engineer-turned-teacher Muneer Alam decided to conduct al fresco classes in the city. In 1999, while pursuing an engineering course, Alam had actually lost an academic year since of the Kargil war. Since he did not desire any other kid to deal with the very same issue, this provoked him to work in the education sector. He has taught more than 25,000 trainees in J&K for boards and competitive examinations, some for a charge and numerous totally free.

He included that there were numerous obstacles however the kids and volunteers did not lose their spirit of continuing with the classes. The college trainees chose to solve these issues with the assistance of other community members and teachers,” Saraf stated, who believes active neighborhood assistance is required to enhance the education system.

In Odishas Kalahandi district, Naveen Kumar Saraf decided to recruit volunteers to teach students throughout the town. Saraf is an assistant teacher at the Nandgaun Government High School, situated 78 km from the district headquarters in Dharamgarh block.

Muneer Alans early morning al fresco class in Srinagars Eidgah in 2020. (Photo: Muneer Alam).

He claims to have actually gotten 2 risk letters in August 2019 for conducting the classes but absolutely nothing could taint his spirit. “The unrest in the region affects the future. Education is the only way that these trainees can make a much better life for themselves,” said Alam, who has actually been nominated for the Global Teacher Prize 2021 by the Varkey Foundation.

Open-air classes in Kashmir.

Hand-painted fundamentals at one of the trainees homes. (Photo: G Kalavathi).

Neighborhood involvement.

Since proper blackboards were not affordable, Kalavathi bought small and carriable ones that could be positioned on tables, chairs and even stairs. Some children also brought chairs from the school to the locations where these blackboards were put. ” I also prepared teaching-learning products (TLMs) and worksheets, which were provided to the trainees for practicing the principles,” she added.

” Primary trainees were not able to manage online classes, largely because of the absence of digital infrastructure. So, I personally went and painted the walls of trainees homes with the needed standard concepts. There are numerous trainees who do not reside in pucca houses and, hence, there were no walls to paint. For them, I set up flexi charts. Since the students could not go to school, we chose to bring the school to the trainees,” said the 42-year-old teacher.

G Kalavathi, who is the only teacher at Telanganas Mandal Parishad Primary School in Pochamma Gadda Tanda village of Mahabubnagar district, was worried about students forgetting the essentials in the middle of the pandemic.

Since the students could not go to school, we chose to bring the school to the trainees,” said the 42-year-old instructor.

Because instructors might not permit trainees to come to schools and even they could not reach all students, some chose to make use of the regional human resource in the towns.

Among Sarafs volunteers taking a class in Odishas Kalahandi district. (Photo: Naveen Saraf).

” Amid the pandemic, it was getting difficult for trainees to stay up to date with studies. I reached out to a couple of university student of the village to volunteer given that they were likewise taking online classes amidst the pandemic and had some free time. They were all worried about what they would be getting out of it and just one volunteer signed up. Later on, the night classes produced a buzz throughout the community and more volunteers began contacting me by themselves. We had a total of 12 volunteers who taught around 10-15 trainees in different parts of the town,” said Saraf.

Schools and educational institutes in Kashmir have been shut because the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The closure continued with the spread of Coronavirus. With internet lines snapped and education institutions shut, students of the Kashmir valley could not keep up with their learning requirements.

For such students, Srinagar-based engineer-turned-teacher Muneer Alam decided to perform open-air classes in the city. I did not want trainees to lose an academic year, hence I began conducting totally free al fresco classes in Srinagar citys Eidgah. With only a couple of students in the beginning, the outdoor classes started to attract many from distant areas. I reached out to a few college trainees of the village to volunteer given that they were also taking online classes amid the pandemic and had some free time.