Odisha's sevashram schools adopt alternative learning

DHENKANAL: With the lockdown disrupting  functioning of schools, SC and ST Welfare department-run Sevashram schools are setting an example by not letting the closure affect learning.

Teachers of these residential schools have resorted to tutor students in the open under the Alternative Learning and Mentorship programme launched by the State Government in April.

While these schools, functioning under direct supervision of the district welfare unit, are unable to conduct full-fledged learning activities, they have managed to modify academic activities and means of instruction in respective villages. 

Official sources said 7,000 students (exclusively from SC and ST communities) are enrolled in more than 41 sevashram schools in the district. Of these, more than 5,000 students belong to Dhenkanal.

They had been sent back home after the Government announced lockdown on March 24. But after the launch of the alternative learning programme from April 18, learning in sevashram schools remained undisrupted. 

For the last two months, teachers of sevashram schools are teaching students in open spaces while exercising social distancing.

District Welfare Officer Manas Ranjan Mishra said apart from teaching, teachers are also sensitising parents to abstain from engaging children in agricultural or allied activities, and boost their confidence for self-study. 

The alternative learning includes doubt-clearing sessions, syllabus-based learning and awareness on Covid-19. Students from Class II to IX attend these classes under separate junior and senior batches.