Even as physical classes across the country continue to remain paralyzed amidst COVID 19 pandemic scare, online classes have become a new normal in the academic arena.. However, in the countryside of the country, there are millions of students who are not privileged enough to have access to online classes in absence of internet connectivity, mobile phones, desktops and laptops.
Realizing the predicament of these poor kids, Srijan Ka Sankalp, a leading NGO of Uttar Pradesh, working in the areas of education, health and skill development, has come up with an innovative idea to bring education to the doorsteps of village children, students through Shiksha Ki Gaadi campaign to ensure their teachings are not affected and they get quality education at par with students living in towns and big cities.
After tremendous response to its first Shiksha Ki Gaadi, this NGO has recently launched its second Shiksha Ki Gaadi to impart mobile teachings to the poor village kids
This Gaadi (vehicle) equipped with smart television and other education tools chugs from one village to another village where the volunteers of Srijan with the help of smart TV and other teaching tools educate village children on various subjects and topics.
As this Shiksha Ki Gaadi enters a village and makes a halt, it is swarmed by children with a found hope that they will get something to learn.
`Hame is gaadi ke maadhyam se tv ke dwara naye naye vishyon ke bare mein bataaya jaata hai, Sir hame vigyaan, ganit se lekar desh videsh mein ho rahi jaankaariyon ke bare mein bataate hain’ (We are made to learn about various subjects through TV set by this Gaadi. Sir teaches from science, arthmetics to various incidents taking place within the country and abroad”, said Santosh, a 10-year-old kid of Amund village of Hamirpur district.
Not only children but their parents also evince keen interest in Shiksha Ki Gaadi. `Pahle mere bacche ko jaankaari ke abhaw mein bahut si baaten nahi pata thi par jab se shiksha ki gaadi hamaare gaaon mein aayi hai, meri beti shahri baccho ki tarah smart ho gayi hai. Shiksha ki gaadi ke maadhyam se sikh kar wo hamen bahut si nayi nayi baaten bataati hai’ (Earlier in absence of adequate information, our children did not have much knowledge about various things happening around the world. However, ever since this shiksha ki gaadi has come to our village, my daughter has become smart like children of the towns. Now, after learning from Shiksha ki gaadi, she knows many things and she teaches us about many things, we did not know earlier.), said Ramprasad, a village of Mahoba district.
Talking about the motive behind launching `Shiksha Ki Gaadi’, Srijan’s CFO, Nikhil Srivastav said this initiative has been taken primarily to educate those village children who do not have access to online classes because of non availability of mobile phones, laptops and desktops at their houses.
“On account of continued lock down of educational institutions in the country, the new academic session of students has got completely spoiled. Since many village schools do not have the facility of providing online classes to students because of internet dis connectivity, this novel idea of reaching out to such students in villages whose education has got badly hampered, stuck our mind. Subsequently, we decided to make education available to all such students through Shiksha Ki Gaadi’’, Punit said adding that his organization intends to start the Shiksha Ki Gaadi campaign, in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra in the coming time.
`Shiksha Ki Gaadi’ bringing education to doorsteps
