Chhattisgarh teacher sets up math lab, park in govt school; attendance, grades improve
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh school teacher Pragya Singh will receive a prestigious recognition from the President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, for her innovative teaching techniques to help students learn mathematics through hands-on experiments and games.
With 17 years of experience in teaching and a PhD in Geology, she has established an advanced mathematics laboratory in her school with her own funds. She has put together over 500 exciting teaching aids that not only enable children to learn difficult concepts through play, but also kindle students' interest in learning and continue attending school.
A teacher in the government upper primary school in village Hanoda, Pragya adopted innovative teaching to motivate students to figure out complicated concepts.
“As a young student I also found math difficult to grasp with ease. Now our students without any aversion are clearing and getting selected in tough examinations like National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Exam (NMMSE), Prayas, Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (Shreshta). Overcoming fear of mathematics, they are scoring 100 percent marks,” Pragya told TNIE.
Besides the Maths lab, she has also created a Maths Park where every difficult concept of mathematics elucidated in simplified ways further igniting keenness to learn among the students.
She has spent over Rs eight lakh out of her own pocket on such related activities in the school for benefit of students. All children learning with the help of her efforts are securing better academic work outcomes.
“Mugging-up maths formulas do not help. We need to focus on applying deeper understanding of concepts and line of reasoning. I devised a district level model Ullas Centre having around 100 Teaching Learning Material (TLM) enabled Foundational Literacy and Numeracy as the tool to improve students’ learning and comprehension,” she said. Pragya has been earlier honoured with various awards in Chhattisgarh state.
Pragya not just worked hard with imaginative approaches in her school in Hanoda, but also struggled to get the attendance of the students improved.
“There was no awareness of education in Hanoda where drug addiction was rampant owing to the it being a labour dominated region. No female teacher was interested to work there. I connected mothers with the school and the situation gradually turned better”, she said.
She also worked as subject expert and resource teacher in State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).