Students of elementary edu course to teach primary school kids in Odisha

The diploma in elementary education is a two-year course, after which candidates become eligible to become teachers in Odisha’s primary schools

Published on: Jul 7, 2021, 11:33:18 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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With no clarity on schools reopening in the state over the next few months, the Odisha government has decided to engage over 10,000 students pursuing their diploma in the elementary education training course to reach out to primary school students and teach them near their homes as part of their internship.

“These students are supposed to go to schools as part of their internship programme and teach primary school students. As schools are closed this year due to Covid-19, we decided to complete the internship by allowing them to teach the students of their village in some community building in the area with Covid-19-appropriate behaviour in place,” said Gangadhar Sahoo, director of SCERT.

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The diploma in elementary education is a two-year course, after which candidates become eligible to become teachers in Odisha’s primary schools.

Teachers’ federations welcomed the government’s move. Trilochan Nayak, president of All Utkal Primary Teachers’ Federation, said with low internet connectivity, it was getting difficult for them to teach primary school students.

“We are facing great difficulties in reaching out to many school students in primary classes. Many of them don’t have smartphones and are thus deprived of education through online means. Engaging the students of diploma in elementary education would reduce the digital deficit,” said Nayak.

As per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2019-20 report released recently, just about 2% of the 53,260 government schools in Odisha have Internet facility. The Internet coverage in Odisha is just 28.22%, less than all India average.

Meanwhile, in Cuttack, former consultant of World Bank Binayak Acharya’s education start-up ThinkZone has been reaching out to over 10,000 children in the districts of Khurda, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Cuttack who do not have smartphones or Internet access. Since the onset of the pandemic last year, the start-up has been teaching the students of Class 1-5 through remote instruction by feature phone and simple text messages, along with automated voice calls to engage with children.

In Kalimela block of Maoist-affected Malkangiri district, NGO Atmashakti Trust through its ally Shramajeebee Sangathan has started “Mo Chatashalee”, a community-led remedial education centre in the village where children can continue their education with the help of a trained volunteer.

Similarly, in three tribal-dominated blocks of Kalahandi, Rayagada and Kandhamal districts with very low Internet connectivity, NGO Livolink Foundation has started a home-based learning support program for about 14,000 pre-school and primary school tribal children at their doorstep.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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