Karnataka: Teachers keep schoolkids engaged via daily webinars in Kalaburagi

KALABURAGI: To compensate for the loss of classroom learning caused due to the lockdown, a government teacher of a remote higher primary school is proactively engaging the students through daily webinars in Kalaburagi district, and is leading by example.
In this exercise of virtual teaching through WhatsApp and Google Meet, Ningappa Mangodi, headmaster of a higher primary school in Gunj Babalad village in Aland taluk, has roped in the school development management committee, gram panchayat members and some villagers.Even parents of some kids take part in the webinars that deal with Kannada, English and maths. He has innovatively introduced community learning. The village is 40 km from Kalaburagi district.
Of the 178 students enrolled in the school, in just a month, he has successfully managed to reach out to nearly 150 kids from class I to VIII. He was worried about how the children would learn after closure of schools in April. "Rural children have great talent, and education is a key to unlocking it. After the schools closed, I was deeply concerned about their learning, and I did not want this pandemic situation to take a toll on their learning. That is when I came up with this idea after deliberations with SDMC members," he said.
Ningappa further explained that merely holding classes on WhatsApp will not help match the physical learning experience. "Through WhatsApp teachers were sending worksheets for the children to work at home. This approach has many gaps," he said. "Hence we decided to conduct webinars every day in groups, for at least one hour in the evening. We have split students into three groups-Class I-III, IV-V and VI-VIII. Six teachers take webinars, and even parents are asked to supervise kids."
Ningappa said since some parents do not have smartphones, the school has involved some educated volunteers to spare phones during the time of webinars, and spend time with the children, whenever teachers send worksheets to them. Worksheets are given after the webinars.
Gita, a Vth grade student, said she has been having a fun learning experience for the first time in her life. "Although we learn through mobile, our teachers explain concepts in simple language, which helps us grasp the subjects better."
The additional commissioner, public instruction department, Kalaburagi division, said, "I really appreciate the commitment of such teachers towards their students to ensure that they learn their subjects well, and I wish to see many more such examples to lead us towards a better connect between teachers and students."