THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Akhil Prasad, a Class IX student at Bharathannoor Government Higher Secondary School, has been struggling to attend online classes since last year. “Usually, I don’t get a good network at home. So I don’t have a choice but to climb the hills near my house to download notes. Sometimes, the network is so poor that I cannot even make calls. I have already missed many of my classes” shares Akhil, who hails from Ramarassery near Palode.
Reshmi S, another student of the school, doesn’t have a smartphone. “My father is a rubber tapper. We have little money since the lockdown began. He has a basic phone, but can’t afford to buy another one. Since my neighbour has a television set, I used to watch the classes on Victers TV. But I still miss the notes the teachers send on WhatsApp,” she says.Students living in remote areas have been facing many such challenges. Realising this, Anil C B, headmaster of Bharathannoor Government HSS, decided to convert the school bus into a classroom.
“We made a list of students from rural areas and found that many were facing internet connectivity issues. When I talked about my idea to ensure all of them had proper attendance, the higher officials readily agreed to do the needful. We conducted the first class on the bus few weeks back and around 18 students from Classes VI and VII attended,” said Anil.
The 22-seater bus, which has been lying idle for almost a year-and-a-half now, was converted into a classroom by fixing a whiteboard and LCD projector inside. The bus is being parked at places like Ramarassery and Pandiyanpara, where students face internet connectivity issues. “Before beginning the classes, we ensured that the teachers and bus driver are vaccinated. Only one student was allowed on a seat and the buses were sanitised after each class. Parents were very happy to cooperate with the mobile classroom initiative,” said Anil.
Asa V S, an English teacher at the school, says, “The students were very excited to see us after a long time and many shared the difficulties they were facing to attend virtual classes. Direct classes can help students study better. Last week, around 25 students from Class IX attended the classes that are held two days a week from 10am to 1pm.”
Inspired by the idea, office bearers of schools across the state, like Kottakkal KMHS in Kozhikode and Government High School Jawahar Colony in Thiruvananthapuram, have contacted Anil. “Many students in our school are also finding it difficult to attend classes due to the internet issues. A meeting has been called with the teachers so that we can replicate the bus model and help our students,” said Sajeemudeen, headmaster in-charge, Government High school Jawahar colony.