Cittapari-III village under Orkel tehsil of Malkangiri district, a large lock hangs at the Government UGME School since March-end. Teaching and learning, however, has not stopped. A few blocks away, students sit in rows under the shade of a tree and take English lessons from Pradeep Kumar Mallick – their teacher. In the last five months following the coronavirus outbreak, the village pandal has transformed into their classroom and Pradeep is now their only link with education.
While students and teachers in urban areas have shifted to online learning in virtual classrooms, their counterparts in this part of the State are a disadvantaged lot as they do not have the luxury of smartphones or internet connectivity. To bridge the learning gap rising out of the pandemic, Pradeep has come forward voluntarily to teach the children by visiting the village.
In fact, during the pandemic, he has been going the extra mile to ensure a smoother transition for the students from classrooms to open air learning sessions. “As teachers, it is our duty to ensure that there is no disconnect between students and education”, says Pradeep, a teacher of Chittapari-III UGME school that caters to students from Class I to Class VIII under Korukonda block limits. After the State Government impose Covid- 19 lockdown, Pradeep has been travelling to Cittapari-III village daily and teaching at least 12 to 15 students of Class IV to VII for three hours in an open field. And he ensures that the children wear masks and maintain a safe distance among them. The classes start at 10 am every day and conclude at 1 pm.
“Online teaching is not feasible in this part of the State due to poor connectivity. Besides, not a single student here has a mobile phone or laptop/desktop. Blackboard teaching is what they are accustomed to and I try to replicate classroom teaching here with whatever resources I have”, said Pradeep.
His open-air classroom comprises of students of various grades who have multiple queries. “I come to this village every day to clear doubts of students. I give them one lesson to study and ask them to note down questions and during classes, I clear their doubts”, says the teacher. Besides, he gives them lessons in dos and donts to keep themselves safe from coronavirus.
“Children tend to forget easily. The only way to keep them connected with the syllabus is to teach them something everyday”, says Pradeep, who advises other teachers to start helping children in their own areas. Quote:Online teaching is not feasible in this part of the State due to poor connectivity. Besides, not a single student here has a mobile phone or laptop/desktop. Blackboard teaching is what they are accustomed to and I try to replicate classroom teaching here with whatever resources I have - Pradeep Mallick