‘Vidyagama' receives good response; gains popularity

The Education Department's initiative, ‘Vidyagama’, to keep government and aided school students on education track, during the Covid-19 crisis, is receiving good response in the district. The initiative is gaining popularity among students and parents.

Vidyagama, a continuous learning plan for students studying in government and aided schools, is introduced to ensure education for students who have no technology-based gadgets to attend online classes. The respective teacher, also mentor, visits the neighbourhood of the students and conducts a variety of activities and also clear doubts of students on various topics.

Vidyagama is a guidance and skill development programme. The schools have created small groups of students and the mentor visits them.

Shamanna, a parent of Bilikere, whose son is in class VI, said, "The new initiative is helpful for students, as well as parents. It was difficult for me to procure e-gadgets for my son’s online classes. Now, a teacher visits the area and conducts activities. The system saved me from borrowing money. The initiative keeps students on the academic track."

Sandesh, son of Shamanna said that he was worried about his classes. “I had no clarity about school. Now, our teacher visits my area and keeps us informed about academic activities. The new system is better than staying idle at home,” he opined.

Anitha, a teacher of an aided school, said that initially, it was difficult to conduct activities and could not manage students. "Now, the system is working smoothly and the students are showing interest to attend the sessions, as more activities are conducted. The students are told to watch classes on Doordarshan TV channel and if they have any doubt, we will clear them during the session,” she said.

The students are grouped, based on the classes and guided to continue self-learning at home with the learning materials provided. Initially, a few parents were reluctant to send their children. But, the mentors managed to convince them, by explaining the safety measures.

Deputy Director for Public Instructions (DDPI) Panduranga said that Vidyagama is receiving good response across the district. "The mentors visit children at their neighbourhood as many times as possible in a week and observe their progress in learning and co-curricular activities. The children are gathering in community centres, religious places, anganwadi centres and following the norms of social distancing. Initially, a few teachers faced difficulty. Now, the system is implemented effectively," he said.

State Project Director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan M Deepa visited a few schools in rural Mysuru and interacted with the children. As many as 1.90 lakh students are participating in ‘Vidyagama’, the DDPI said.