Lockdown pathshala takes children beyond textbooks
Bhubaneswar: When some schools in the city announced online extra-curricular activities, it came as a relief for students confined to their homes by the long lockdown. With their favourite teachers teaching them everything from shaking a leg to getting their asanas right, from strumming a guitar to perfecting that drumbeat, children now have something to look forward to.
Take for instance 12-year-old Ananya Priyadarshini, a Class VII student of DAV Public School, Pokhariput. She enthusiastically dresses up for her early-morning yoga and dance sessions, held on different days of the week. “These classes are important to me as I feel I need to study and relax at the same time,” said Ananya. Her school organises live extra-curricular activities for students from Class VI onwards over Microsoft Teams and Snap Homework App. For children studying from UKG to Class V, the school sends videos over WhatsApp for implementation by the parents.
“We decided to conduct extra-curricular activities online because we felt that children would enjoy them. At the same time, we don’t want them to be online for too long as it can be taxing for them. Our extra-curricular activities are confined between 7 am and 8.30 am,” said Sujata Sahu, principal of DAV School, Pokhariput. The school organised an online quiz on Covid-19 and on the epics, besides competitions on slogan writing, poetry and drawing, for its foundation day on May 1. The winners were given e-certificates after an online assessment, said the principal.
SAI International School organises live Suprabhat sessions, consisting of yoga and aerobics, from 6.15 am to 8.15 am, five days a week, for children from UKG to Plus II and their parents. Besides these sessions that were started in the second week of April, the school is organising hobby classes by teaching children dance, art, Origami, craft-making from waste and poster-making.
The school has also provided a choice of musical instruments to its senior students to learn online. “I love to attend these classes as they take the pressure off me,” said Nishant Kartik, a Class IX student, who plays the keyboard.
The school also offers Radio Orange, in which students are taught to become radio jockeys and learn video editing. While there are two hour-long hobby sessions for children up to Class V, an hour on Sundays is devoted to the seniors. “The children give expression to their creativity by making beautifully edited videos,” said Swati Sengupta, a curriculum instructional leader with the school. SAI International has also organised sessions on investments, well-being and bakery for parents by roping in experts. “We organised the sessions for parents so that they can de-stress,” said Bijay Kumar Sahoo, founder of the school.