Smartphones and online classes are beyond the reach of children living in the slums and on sidewalks of Kolkata. So does that mean their student life reach a dead end during the Covid-19 pandemic? The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) has come up with a unique initiative to ensure that their school life continues. WBCPCR has started to arrange classes for street children through community radio.
The initiative which is being held in collaboration with Jadavpur University has recently started and will be held on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for half an hour from 11.30 am. Mathematics, English, Bengali and hygiene will be taught in the classes.
Just like the medium the teaching techniques in the classes also differs from the traditional classroom methods. At one such class in the city on Wednesday the students were asked to write down all the names of birds which were mentioned on the community radio station Community Radio JU.
No there were no scolding if they were unable to do so. But at the end of the class they were rewarded with an interesting story. So the children listened to the radio which for now have now taken the place of their teacher with rapt attention.
“In the Covid-19 situation, WBCPCR has felt that children with no access to internet and smartphones can be reached through offline mode which includes the use of community methods. It is expected that community radio can help the children in street situations in bridging the gap of online learning,” WBCPC stated in a release. The programs will also be uploaded on Radio JU’s social media platforms.
The classes also include interviews on child rights, storytelling and environment which WBCPCR hopes will inspire children towards “creative and responsible thinking” in future.
"Initially the classes are being held in Kolkata but they will be held across the state in the near future,” WBCPCR chairperson told DH Ananya Chakraborty.
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