At Government Upper Primary School, Konchiravila, some students are at work trying to convert a smart classroom into a newsroom. Tables and chairs are set up around the room, each labelled 'editor,' 'chief editor,' 'chief of bureau,' 'reporter,' 'news coordinator' and so on. This is where 26 students of the school brainstormed on what and how to present in Gallop News, a news channel launched by the school recently.
Minister for Education C. Ravindranath formally launched the channel, available on social media to reach the widest audience - YouTube, the school's Facebook page, and WhatsApp.
The news is reported and anchored by the students. They decide what news will be presented, who will report it, and the script for it. Then there is an anchor, and the news is edited just as it is in any news channel with live chat mode packages, and news in brief.
Writing and reporting news is not something alien to the students, it being part of the curriculum. What had to be done was to select a team from 350 students of the school who could shoulder the job well. A written test and an interview followed, and a team of 26 was put in place. With the school not having even a camera of its own, the news was shot on a teacher's mobile phone, and the sound recording too done on it. The editing was done by the son of a teacher. The classrooms were the recording studio and the newsroom. "This has been a zero-cost initiative till now," says one of the teachers guiding the students.
The first episode covered all the happenings in the school, from the boisterous Onam celebrations to Teachers' Day which saw retired teachers, even in their nineties, reach the school, the Onam exams and the school garden. Next up is the second episode which will cover the events after Onam till Christmas. The third instalment will cover the happenings till the year-end.
The coming two episodes will not stop at school news though. On the cards is an interview with poet Sugathakumari, and segments on how to make teaching of Science and Maths easier for students’ comprehension, a suggestion made by the Education Minister. “The first episode largely catered to the school students, but in future we aim to reach out to other students.”
Study visits to important places mentioned in textbooks, and programmes to popularise traditional games will also be telecast. Significantly, this episode will see a new set of students among the 26 at the helm, with even a class 1 student reporting, says Mithun J. who is the editor. Aasiya S.S., the anchor, says more impromptu inputs from the reporters are desirable.
The first episode has seen the school get a call from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, where it was shown to the students, and a representative from a media outlet in Mumbai expressing his desire to visit the school. The school under the leadership of Headmistress B. Sheela hopes to receive more recognition for its novel venture.
