Students of a government-run primary school in Jaitwardeeh village, Soraon block, located around 22 kms from Allahabad, have joined hands with teachers to bring out a handmade fortnightly newspaper. The children would report on various school activities. This would not only enable them to learn reporting, team work, planning but also strengthen editing and writing skills.
While school newspaper or a magazine may be a routine affair for private and convent schools, this initiative by children of rural areas in the Hindi heartland is grabbing eyeballs. Senior government officials now want other government-run primary and upper primary schools to follow suit.
“It all started as a creative experiment aimed at keeping kids busy and helping them learn new skills. From July 2017, we started taking out a daily newspaper with a class 5 student Shalini Jaiswal as head of the committee of students managing the newspaper. It soon caught the fancy of all students with each and everyone eager to report even the minutest of happenings on school campus,” shared Shweta Srivastava, an assistant teacher at government primary school, Jaitwardeeh, who kick-started this initiative.
Dubbed ‘Chahak’, the newspaper saw all 269 students from class 1 to 5 of the school under supervision of their five teachers vigorously jotting down developments like water being wasted due to carelessness of students, menu of the mid day meal, number of teachers present on a day, birthday and anniversary celebrations to even flowers and leaves being plucked by fellow students from plants on the school campus.
{{/usCountry}}Dubbed ‘Chahak’, the newspaper saw all 269 students from class 1 to 5 of the school under supervision of their five teachers vigorously jotting down developments like water being wasted due to carelessness of students, menu of the mid day meal, number of teachers present on a day, birthday and anniversary celebrations to even flowers and leaves being plucked by fellow students from plants on the school campus.
{{/usCountry}}“Another assistant teacher Archana Gupta started chipping in with subbing and proof reading the reports of students. Ideally students report various matters to Shalini who then writes the reports and then post subbing, the layout is decided. Students along with teachers suggest visual elements and then draw appropriate pictures. Then other teachers join in to finalise the final page layout. The product is a labour of love that gives makes everyone here immensely proud,” Shweta said.
Secretary, Basic Education Board, UP Sanjay Sinha welcomed the initiative and said other government primary and upper primary schools should also embrace the initiative for benefit of students.
From September, ‘Chahak’ turned into a fortnightly newspaper with an aim to improve both content and quality. “The first fortnight edition of the newspaper (September 17 to October 2) has recently been brought out. It has articles on Dussehra, cleanliness fortnight observed in the school besides Gandhi and Shastri jayanti celebrations. The next edition would be a Diwali special with poems, jokes and short stories with good moral lessons taking centre stage,” shared Archana with pride.
Before the school ends, the students queue up to hear Shalini read out day’s developments as part of ‘news reports’ with special mention of kids who were extraordinarily mischievous as well. “Only the best make it to the fortnight newspaper,” added Shalini.