Mumbai: This Ghatkopar school's teachers travel to poor students' homes

Principal Ambarsingh Magar, along with some teachers from the school, meeting students in the Ram Nagar slum area

No technology to access online classes? No problem, teachers will come to your house. A BMC-run school in Ghatkopar has come up with a novel system to visit students who do not have smart devices and clear their doubts and teach complex problems. This is being done to ensure students do not drop out of school as they contribute to their families' efforts to earn a livelihood.

The Barve Nagar Municipality Secondary School in Ghatkopar had been sending homework on parents' WhatApp numbers and calling students to check on their progress. But with the reopening of schools put on hold again, the school had to come up with newer solutions, especially for Std X students as board exams approach. That's how the plan to visit students was created. It has been embraced by teachers, too.

Teams of teachers along with the principal are visiting students in slums such as Bhatwadi, Sangharsha Nagar, Ram Nagar and Ghatkopar Hill three days a week. The teams take turns to visit the areas.

The teachers' teams identify open areas in the club where children from different standards gather in batches. Small sessions are held to resolve doubts, explain difficult concepts and also give homework and other guidance for practice at home. "This is just the basic task for teachers. The most important one is to counsel children and their parents to make them understand the importance of education. So many children have started helping their parents earn. In many households, the parents have lost jobs and children have found some ways to earn money. When they are struggling to ensure they have food every day, we cannot tell them to stop working. At the same time, we have to emphasise the importance of education, which can change their lives," said Ambarsingh Magar, principal of the school.

Magar took over the school's reins last year and increased its SSC pass percentage from 58 per cent to 94 per cent. Magar continued, "We believe this will help rebuild the importance of education in children's minds. If the school teacher and principal visit students at their residences, children are bound to take what they say seriously."

Plan seems to be working

Magar shared the example of Raju, a Std X student, who started selling ice cream on the streets since unlock began. He had forgotten about studies while helping his family survive. After the teachers visited him, he resumed his studies.

Sisters Aasha and Komal, who are in Std X and IX respectively, have a similar story. They understand the importance of education and are willing to make extra effort. The duo had started working as domestic help.

While the initiative is aimed at Stds V to X, currently the main focus is on Std X as the SSC exam is approaching. "With no proper way of online learning, these students are lagging behind. We were hoping that schools would start now and our teachers would be able to cover the portion. But how long can we wait for this situation to change. We have to take some steps," added Magar.

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What school's pass percentage shot to from 58%