Role model: ZP school in Pabe finds unique way to teach students during lockdown

With the motto of ‘school closed; education open’, a primary school run by the zilla parishad in Pabe of Velhe taluka, a remote village around 75 kilometres from Pune, has come up with a unique initiative of ‘Lockdown Pabe pattern ’ to bring education to even those students who do not have access to the internet or a smartphone.

The students at Pabe reside in hilly areas and face issues like road connectivity during monsoon as the village receives heavy rainfall.

Under the pattern, a 15-day time table has been prepared by the school administration. Students after completing their homework, give three missed calls to the teacher, who then evaluate assignments received on WhatsApp. The students who don’t have smartphones and access to the internet keep doing every day’s work as assigned in the time table and on the eighth day after completing assignments they will visit the place of the school administrator committee member who will at the same moment click the pictures of his/her notebook and send it to the class teacher.

“This method of education helps to conduct classes without staying online for hours and it is not even possible in villages like Pabe,” said Suresh Koli, principal, zilla parishad school.

“Currently in Velhe taluka, there are only two active cases and 34 total cases. Since we are following government orders to not to open the school, we have decided to come out with the ‘Lockdown Pabe pattern’,” said Koli.

With the help of Pabe pattern, the school is able to complete its syllabus in the same way during normal time.

“We feel like normal classes are going on. I miss my friends while studying, but other than that everything feels the same like a normal school,” said Shweta Renuse, a Class 6 student.

“Keeping in mind the lockdown, ZP school at Pabe has shown a unique way of conducting classes. Now we are using the same pattern for all the schools in the taluka,” said Sunil Mugle, block education officer, Velhe.

There are a total of 78 students in ZP primary school and it has classes till Class 7.

“The studies were affected as there was no access to physical classes. The principal came up with this idea so that students do not suffer due to the lockdown,” said Vishal Shinde, block development officer, Velhe.

What is Lockdown Pabe pattern

-Time table for 15 days is prepared by the school administration

-Class teacher of every class will prepare a time table on the basis of the school syllabus

-Time table will be given to every student via WhatsApp and those who don’t have WhatsApp, school administrator committee members will visit his/her place to hand over the time table

-Students will study by referring to books which were distributed to them on June 14

-Students will do the assignments and they will send photos of assignments to their teachers via WhatsApp and will give them three missed calls

-Once a teacher receives three missed calls from respective students, he/she will check his/her assignments and will call back the student to clear his/her doubts. This routine will continue every day till June 30

-The students who don’t have access to phone or Internet will keep doing every day’s work as assigned in the time table and on the eighth day after completing assignments they will visit school administrator committee member who will at the same moment click the pictures of his/her notebook and send it to the class teacher

-Once the class teacher receives assignments pictures, at the same moment she/he will check all assignments and will call back the school administrator committee member to talk with students and clear her/his doubts