Maha: Teachers of civic schools take classes to homes of students in Aurangabad

NEW DELHI: In a bid to ensure children are not deprived of education amid the COVID-19-enforced closure of schools and lack of online studying resources, nearly 200 teachers of 72 civic schools here in Maharashtra have literally taken the classes to the doorsteps of students, an education official here said. As part of the initiative, the teachers, of Urdu and Marathi medium schools run by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, visit the homes of students and teach them individually, the official told PTI on Wednesday.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools here are closed to prevent the spread of viral infection. Many children also do not have mobile phones and other resources to join classes online and there is a fear of students missing out on their education in such a scenario, he said. Hence, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation has chalked out a plan to reach out to students wherever they are staying, the official said.

Humera Anjum, a teacher from Garkheda Urdu School here, said, "Last year (after COVID-19 outbreak), we printed some workbooks for our students and tried to reach out to them as much as possible to take their classes. This year, the initiative has been extended to all schools of the municipal corporation." Anjum said teachers are also involved in the survey of the spread of COVID-19 and she herself is involved in the vaccination drive against the infection. "But, I visit around 40 students of Classes 1 and 2 every alternate day. We sit anywhere, on an elevated platform or any other place available, and make the children study," she said. Anjum said they have so far succeeded in ensuring no student misses out on education. "No student from our school has dropped out as we are in touch with them. As of now, we are not worried about the syllabus, but want to ensure children study and do their homework," she added.

Sanjeev Sonar, the headmaster of the city-based Priyadarshini School, said the concept of visiting the homes of students to teach them has also helped in increasing the involvement of parents in their children's education. He also said that nearly 75 percent of these children do not have their own mobile phones and so, they cannot opt for the online mode of education. "Hence, the initiative to visit the homes of students is helping us in ensuring they do not miss out on their education," he said.

The city civic body's education officer Ramnath Thore said at present, around 200 teachers from 72 schools have been visiting the homes of students to take their classes. "The teachers involved in activities like COVID-19 survey and other related works will also come back to take classes soon," he said.

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