An Assistant Teacher of Government Upgraded Higher Primary School, Moodambail, Vitla, Anita Kumari holds activity sessions for three hours in her house in Mudipu on the outskirts of the city on Saturdays and Sundays, for 10 children, including two of hers. On the other days, she engages herself in activities that she has assigned to 11 Class 5 students over phone and WhatsApp.
Ms. Anita Kumari’s colleague Vinoda Kumari B., who lives in Benjanpadavu, also on the outskirts of the city, holds similar sessions for nearly an hour for 10 students in her locality in the evenings after she returns from school.
Rajesh Nellyady, a teacher from Government Higher Primary School in Hokkadigoli village in Belthangady taluk, has been holding activity sessions for the last several days for a group of 15 students in the latter’s localities.
Ms. Anita Kumari, Ms. Vinoda Kumari and Mr. Rajesh Nellyady are among those teachers in Dakshina Kannada who are trying to implement the concept of “Vatara Shaale” (neighbourhood school) wherein teachers go to the houses of students and teach them, while adhering to social distancing and other safety norms.
“Students eagerly wait for these sessions, held outside classrooms, on topics they are interested in,” Mr. Nellyady said and added that these activities are designed in such a way that children learn as they play.
“It is more like the integrated learning that is followed under the Nali-Kali system (play and learn mode of teaching for Classes 1 to 5),” he said.
Among the activities that the children are involved in include story-telling, story building, recitation of poems, singing mathematical tables, yoga, craft, drawing, collage-making and dictionary-reading.
Citing an instance of involvement by children, Ms. Vinoda Kumari pointed out that one day they brought to her house dishes they made without the use of fire when they were told to write a recipe.
“I messaged Class 6 students of my school to send me stories that they heard from their grandparents. And, I continue to get such stories on my WhatsApp and email,” she said.
Not just these students but parents too are actively involved in this effort, Ms. Anita Kumari said.
Mr. Rajesh Nellyady said that teachers have formed groups to discuss ways and means to reach out to students and children in their neighbourhood.
“It is a new experience for us. We are refining the concepts and making efforts to take the joy of learning to children,” he said.
