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Prominent names in Chandigarh back to school but as volunteer teachers
Local residents and senior citizens are gearing up to teach at local government schools starting on Wednesday.
Local residents and senior citizens are gearing up to teach at local government schools starting on Wednesday.
Over 90 residents from the tricity volunteered to teach at Chandigarh government institutes after suggestions by UT administrator VP Singh Badnore and adviser Parimal Rai.
Residents including retired teachers, professors, doctors, lawyers, IAS officers and engineers, among others, sent their requests by filling forms uploaded on the UT education department website. Volunteers named their preference of school and subject they wish to teach. The duration for these voluntary lessons will be an hour each.
Hindustan Times spoke to some prominent citizens from different backgrounds to understand why they took up this initiative.
Pawan Kumar Bansal Former MP
Subject/topic: Legal literacy
Bansal said he has already started working on his assignment and personally met the principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 19. Bansal discussed the topics with the principal and said he would not like to stick to just one section.
SK Setia former, UT DPI (schools)
Subject/topic: History, social science, general education, English grammar
Setia said while imparting education on the subjects, he will also stress on moral education and improving food habits.
Col Harjinder Singh (retd)
Subject/topic: English, mathematics
Col Harjinder said it gave an opportunity to all those who have always wanted to give back to society. Given the poor performance of government schoolchildren in the recent Class 10 board in English, he hopes to generate interest among students in the subject.
Dr Sudhir Garg, 70, former head of department of zoology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
Subject/topic: Biology
For Garg, it is an opportunity to spend his free time imparting knowledge to young children. With 40 years of experience in his field, he wishes to take biology lessons with students of Classes 11 and 12 at government schools.