Tripura Starts Shantiniketan-like ‘Open-air’ Classes amid Coronavirus

Open-air classes in the manner of Shantiniketan started in Tripura from 20 August onwards. More than 100,000 students across northeastern India took part in open-air classes.

27,000 teachers serving at 4,400 government schools attended the open-air schools.

Also Read: Tripura Chief Minister Announces Establishment of Third Medical College in the State

According to a survey conducted by the Education Department, 94,013 students do not have any phones, and 142,238 students do not have cable TV networks to take classes on television.

To overcome this hurdle, the Education Department started neighbourhood classes with a ratio of five students for one teacher. The neighbourhood classes are meant for those students who cannot afford or access online studies.

Also Read: Prof. Prasain New Vice Chancellor of Tripura University

The survey found that there are 322,297 students studying from Grade I to VIII in different government schools of Tripura. Of them, 111,618 students have smartphones, 116,666 have ordinary mobile phones and 180,059 have cable networks in their homes.

196,389 students could access the Internet on their smartphones.

The first 10 minutes of every class is spent on spreading awareness about coronavirus. All students have to wear masks and use hand sanitizers during the classes. Parents are under no compulsion to send their children to the neighbourhood classes.

Earlier, the state Education Department had launched online classes and video lecture sessions in local television channels, SMS-based classes, and so on after the lockdown was imposed in March.

The state also reduced 50 percent of the syllabus for Bengali, English and Social Science Studies and 40 percent of the syllabus for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Science for classes 3 to 8.