Using mobiles, laptops these award-winning teachers tried all means to get children to school

Sushil Kumar, Sampanna Kumar Nigam and Alpa Nigam have been selected for the govt’s National ICT Award for School Teachers, 2016

Lucknow: At a time when most government school teachers blame lack of resources for the poor quality of education in rural areas, three primary school teachers from the state have set an example using technology to transform the education scenario in their respective schools.

Sushil Kumar with his students at Harak, Barabanki. (Sourced)

To recognise their contribution, Sushil Kumar, Sampanna Kumar Nigam and Alpa Nigam will be felicitated by president Ram Nath Kovind at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on September 5. They have been selected for the Government of India’s National ICT Award for School Teachers, 2016.

Kumar and Sampanna are headmasters of schools in Harak and Fatehpur block, respectively, both in Barabanki. Alpa Nigam is the headmistress of a primary school in Tilauli, Gorakhpur.

Alpa Nigam has been using technology to make the learning process more interesting for children. (Sourced)

Thirty-four-old Sampanna Kumar Nigam says, “When I joined in 2011, very few students were enrolled and most of them ran away after lunch time. The biggest challenge was to make education interesting for them. I started using my mobile phone and tablet to teach rhymes and realised that they were showing interest. As the attendance began to improve drastically I began using audio-visual mode of communication to teach other subjects as well. Today, the students don’t want to miss any class.”

Impressed with Nigam’s dedication, a well-wisher recently donated a projector to the school to screen educational movies for students.

Unlike most students in rural areas, children of Tilauli village in Gorakhpur look forward to school and the credit goes to the headmistress of the Prathamik Vidyalaya, Alpa Nigam. Since she joined in 2010, she has been using technology to make the learning process more interesting for children.

Sushil Kumar encourages use of laptops in his classes. (Sourced)

Thirty-eight-year-old Sushil Kumar in Barabanki district also left no stone unturned to give his students a bright future. “I’ve been using my laptop to teach students since July 2007. I also ask the students who pass out to share their laptops with their juniors. As children love to use gadgets like these, the strength has gone up from 130 to 170,” says Kumar.

Sushil also ensures that the children come well-dressed to school. “I’ve taught them that if they say their daily prayer without taking a bath, it will make God unhappy. I also show them videos emphasising personal hygiene,” adds Kumar.

A total of 108 teachers from across the country made presentations in Bhopal between December 19 and December 23 in 2016. After the award committee assessed their work, 24 teachers were selected for the award.