With just a laptop, a white cloth fixed on the black board and a projector in Class 1, a government school in the suburbs of Puducherry has leaped forward using technology, showing the way for other schools.
In an effort to introduce children to a world outside their small village, teachers of the Government Primary School, Kirumampakkam, with the support of the school headmaster, have initiated regular online interactions with children from other States and countries.
The Class 5 students of this school have interacted with the children of a government school in Goa and a master trainer in Egypt. They will soon be talking to and sharing their culture and ideas with the schoolchildren in Malaysia.
Positive ambience
School headmaster R. Sivakumar said that with the help of primary school teacher K. Karthikeyan, they organised online interaction classes for the Class 5 students. “We wanted to inculcate confidence in our children and speak English without any fear with strangers. This online interaction programme provides this opportunity to the children,” he said.
Mr. Karthikeyan said that during the interaction, the children had to talk about their food, the language they spoke and about their culture — all in English . “The first online interaction was with the students of St. Cruz High School in Goa. Later, we learnt about Soheir Zaki, a master trainer from Egypt,” he said.
They would very soon be interacting with children from MRSM Tun Mohammad Faud Stephens, Sandakan in Malaysia, he added.
“Their exposure is way beyond the confines of the school premises. Though reluctant in the beginning, after two interactions the students are eager to talk to more children,” he added.
The headmaster, along with the school teachers, has changed the face of school. They have set up a library for the schoolchildren within the school premises. Colourful and informative charts decorate the walls of this room.
On Friday, they organised a science exhibition.
Children from LKG to Class 5, with the help of their teachers, exhibited different science projects and confidently explained their projects. From mobile tower to air purifier, they had designed different models for the exhibition.
In the school of 219 children, at least 150 exhibits were showcased at the science exhibition. The team of judges, including M. Arunagiri, lecturer in District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), K. Rajasekaran, Trained Graduate Teacher, and N. Ganesan, Lecture in Zoology from Kalapet, expressed that they were fascinated to watch so many different science exhibits and said that it was better than the private schools.
