Man who painted a universe on classroom walls set for award
PATNA: Not only books, but walls are also one of the learning aids for students at Government Middle School at Ramgarh in Kaimur district, thanks to its officiating head teacher Haridas Sharma who transformed the school’s appearance during Covid-19 induced lockdown.
On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Sharma and a Madhubanibased teacher Chandana Dutt will receive National Teachers Award 2021 on Sunday.
Sharma, 51, wants to change the impression that government schools have poor infrastructure and dull teaching methodology. He has painted science diagrams, solar and lunar eclipses and mathematics shapes on walls of the school for encouraging students to learn in an innovative way along with tagging QR codes on plants and creating a library for enriching knowledge of students.
“During lockdown, we used to visit school in the absence of students. Utilising leisure time, I painted walls of schools and turned them into teaching-learning material. The creative art
attracts students and has created a distinguished identity of my school,” he said.
Dutt has been selected for the award in recognition of her efforts made for promoting girls’ education. She is an English teacher at Government Middle School at Rajnagar, Mahbubani.
Recalling her initial years of career, Dutt said, “When I joined the school in 2005, there was no girl student in the class. When I enquired the reason, I learnt that villagers were reluctant to send their daughters to schools owing to their poverty and illiteracy.”
“I started paying visits in nearby localities after school
hours to encourage minority communities and poor families to send their girls to schools. My hard work paid off with time. At present, of 900 enrolled students, 60% are girls”, said Dutt, who is also a writer.
“I stay in touch with students who have graduated from the school. Some girls have started their own coaching centres while some have qualified competitive exams. I feel satisfied that despite studying with limited resources, my students are doing well”, she said.
The Bihar education department has selected 20 teachers for state-level award this year.