E-Paper
National Teacher Award: Ladakh teacher introduced subject-specific classrooms
Muhammad Ali, who holds a masters degree in science, English and education, became a teacher in 2006; he hails from Kanoor, a remote and sparsely inhabited village in Kargil district.
The out-of-the-box initiative of setting up subject specific classrooms, the brainchild of 42-year-old Muhammad Ali, the acting head teacher at Government Primary School, Karith, in Kargil district of Ladakh has won him the National Teacher Award this year, apart from the appreciation of Sonam Wangchuk, the education reformist.
Ali, who holds a masters degree in science, English and education, became a teacher in 2006. He hails from Kanoor, a remote and sparsely inhabited village in Kargil district.
“In 2016, I was posted at the Government Middle School, Kharith, where I introduced the concept of subject specific classrooms. We do not have grade-wise classes but subject-specific classes. In orthodox teaching, students sit in their classes and subject teachers come to the class. However, here students go to different classes where they are taught by the respective subject teacher with relevant teaching-learning material (TLM) ,” he said.
“It is a method of practical teaching. Carrying TLM to classrooms was not feasible nor was there adequate space in the classroom,” he said.
Sonam Wangchuk also visited the school in 2019 and was inspired by the concept of subject-specific classrooms. Ali said, “In our subject-specific classrooms, children will go through their TLM but also see TLM of higher classes. The classes are attractive and it enhances their understanding as well.”
“It is a new model in middle level schooling from Class 1 to 8 in India. The pilot project was taken up in 2016 and introduced in 2018,” he added. Ali also got the students involved in making artificial glaciers during winter breaks.
“Our initiative came into the limelight in 2018 and the then DC Baseer-ul-Haq also heard of it. He came see the artificial glacier, but he was more impressed by our subject specific classrooms,” said Ali.
The school has 10 subject-specific classrooms for science, mathematics, social studies, language, games, ABC Class, 123 Class, Urdu, Library, smart classroom and has 41 students and nine teachers.
