Stay positive to overcome Covid-19 crisis, Super 30 founder tells students

With schools still shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noted mathematician Anand Kumar has lauded the Centre’s decision to launch educational TV channels for students to keep them engaged at home, and said it was important they stay positive to overcome the crisis.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in May announced that the government would launch TV channels to impart lessons to school students, especially those who do not have access to the Internet.

The Super 30 founder, who has shared his views on the pandemic and its impact on students in a book compiled by two alumni of Brunel University London, also said that he had written to the HRD ministry to start a 24x7 TV channel to cater to the needs of lakhs of poor students.

‘Together: An anthology from the COVID-19 pandemic’, the book by Pauldy Otermans and Dev Aditya, has a rich collection of human experiences - mostly in the form of poems, prose and letters -- shared by established authors, leaders, celebrities, teachers, actors, students, frontline workers as well as those who have survived the outbreak.

The acclaimed mathematician, known for providing free coaching to 30 select students from the underprivileged sections of the society every year to help them clear JEE exam for admission in IITs, said it was a great honour for him to be able to contribute to the book.

“It is a collection of experiences which would usher in positivity. Being negative or taking stress is not the answer to any problem. I have shared my experience as a teacher and how COVID-19 caused a huge disruption in the field of education - both for students and teachers,” he told PTI.

Among others, philanthropist Dr Frank F Islam, British singer Annabel Leventon, music director and composer Bappi Lahiri and scientist Dr Shah Kamranur Rahman have also shared their observations and anecdotes in the book.

Kumar further said that he has launched an initiative -- ‘Mathematics for fun’ - on Twitter to connect with the children, and the response to it has been “overwhelming”.

“I gave one interesting problem and asked students to send in their answers. The response was overwhelming, something I had not imagined. Not only students, but math lovers from across the world started interacting with me.

“It turned out to be a learning experience for me as well. That was a big confidence booster. From the next day, it became a part of my routine. I post math problems for the students and wait for their replies,” he added.