Highlights-
- The West Bengal government inaugurated the ‘Paray Shikshalaya’ scheme for the primary school students.
- Classes were held in neighborhood parks and grounds for schools that did not have open-air venues.
- The students attending the neighbourhood classes are also being provided with the Mid-day lunch.
The West Bengal government inaugurated the ‘Paray Shikshalaya’ scheme for the primary school students. The open-air classroom initiative has started for students in grades 1 to 7. The goal of this one-of-a-kind campaign is to encourage students who have had their schools shuttered due to the Covid-19 outbreak to return to school. It’s worth mentioning that the initiative came after the schools in West Bengal started for grades 8 to 12. Online classes, on the other hand, were continuing for students in lower classes.
Where will classes take place?
Classes were held in neighborhood parks and grounds for schools that did not have open-air venues. Local councilors and MLAs assisted in the establishment of infrastructure at such parks, such as the installation of temporary shades and chairs, as well as the provision of mid-day meals for students. Classes were held in open-air locations at schools. To simulate a true classroom environment, students were given benches and blackboards were positioned.
What motivated the launch of this initiative?
Schools in the state reopened for students from class 8 to 12 on January 31. However, Students in lower classes, on the other hand, continued to attend online lessons. SFI, West Bengal Chhatra Parishad, and ABVP had been protesting in the streets for a week previous to this declaration, asking that schools reopen for all classes as soon as possible. A group of doctors and parents also supported the reopening of schools. Because of the increased demand for physical education classes, the state government reopened schools and established this neighbourhood classes project.
Who will be attending the classes?
The students attending the neighbourhood classes are also being provided with the Mid-day lunch. The students will be attending the classes in batches following the Covid protocols. Initially, the campaign was aimed at elementary school children (1 to 5). However, students in classes 6 and 7 were also included as physical classes in schools were not restarted for them.
So far, what has been the reaction?
On the first day, students were enthusiastic about their classes along with following the Covid protocols. The classes were attended by 30 to 40 kids each school in various locations across Kolkata. Students were instructed to adhere to Covid-19 safety precautions and to wear masks at all times.
