The brutal COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down, ever since it invaded the entire globe, locking people inside their home. Along with the collapse of the world economies and healthcare system, it has severely affected the entire education system, especially those children who are living in the extreme rural and Naxal affected areas of the country. One such example comes from the Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh state, where children have been completely deprived of education since two years of lockdown.
Amid this crisis, the local police from Sahaspur- Lohara village of Kawardha district have come forward with an interesting initiative of educating children in the village. They have converted walls of the village into blackboards which are painted with English and Hindi alphabets, mathematical symbols, and number-system, under the campaign called ‘PRERNA’ which makes it easy for children to learn and play altogether.
Sahaspur police has painted some of the walls in Naxal-affected village of Minminiya in the district. They are focusing mainly on such areas where children often gather to play in the evening.
The state government of Chhattisgarh had initiated ‘MOHALLA PATHSHALA’ in order to aid children with their studies during the lockdown, in which teachers were instructed to visit localities to teach children in groups. But it turned out to be a failed attempt. Data shows that only 31,110 students attended these classes, whereas approximately 1.40 lakh children are enrolled in the government schools. Among these, only 75,000 children have registered for online classes.
Most of the districts in state are forest belts having poor network connectivity. Due to poor internet availability in these regions, children are helpless and unable to cope up with basic school education.