School teacher uses loudspeaker at village temple to teach children in Jharkhand

ANCHI: COVID-19 has brought several changes in social and cultural behaviour among human beings and one such example is being demonstrated at Jinouri village in Bokaro district of Jharkhand, where the loudspeakers installed at the local temple for playing 'bhajans', are echoing school lessons for kids.

With schools closed for the last one and a half years, teacher Bhim Mahto at Jinauri Middle School in Bokaro has turned the village temple into a class room and has been using the loudspeaker here to teach students who are taking his classes by remaining at their door steps.

Mahto, using his own resources, has also put posters of Hindi and English alphabets and other lessons for students from class 1 – 3 at various locations in the village for their reference and calls them one by one at the temple for clearing their doubts to avoid overcrowding.

According to the school teacher, he was forced to take this initiative looking at the fact that the children were not getting benefitted by the online classes being conducted through WhatsApp as they were not able to understand things being taught on it properly. 

“Besides that, some of the parents were reluctant to give smart phones to the small children while many of them did not have the access to it as their parents are too poor to afford it. Then, an idea came into mind that why not makes use of the loudspeaker at the temple which plays ‘bhajans’ every morning and
evening,” said the teacher. He talked to the local village representatives, who readily accepted his offer, he added.

“I have put several posters and banners of English and Hindi alphabets, names and spellings along with the pictures of animals, body parts and other things as well, which is taught in the classes of standards 1, 2 and 3 students in the school. Students of a particular class are asked to come out of their homes at a particular time and stand before the posters and banners put for them on their doorsteps and teach them using the microphone which is transmitted through the loudspeaker placed on the top of the temple,” said Bhim Mahto. In order to know whether they have understood the lesson properly or not, he calls them one by one at the temple platform and clear their doubts if any, he added.

“Since, these classes are being conducted thrice a week, I have appointed some senior students as volunteers who guide the children in my absence,” said the teacher. In order to encourage children to attend classes, I also bring chocolates, mangoes or biscuits for them, he added.

“Besides, teaching us in such an easy manner, Bhim Sir brings mangoes, biscuits and chocolates for us. It is really fun to attend his classes,” said a class 3 student Navya Kumari. They wait for the class to take place every day, she added. 

Parents also appreciated the initiative taken by the school teacher at a time when the children have started to forget whatever they had learnt earlier as they are not going to school due to lockdown.

“This is really commendable that this teacher has taken such an initiative so that the process of education remains continued among the children. Since, the concept was quite convincing, we allowed him to make use of the loudspeaker without any second thought for this greater cause,” said Mukhia of Poplo Panchayat Devanti Devi.

Not only this teacher gives classes to the children with all dedication, but he also encourages them to attend it by distributing chocolates and fruits among them, she added.

The Mukhia informed that there are a total of 30 students of class 1, 2 and 3 in the village who are enrolled with Jinauri Middle School.