Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, Mar 30: One of the major concerns for parents in this cricket-crazy country has been that World Cups are usually scheduled during the crucial exam months of February-March-April, which distracts students and in turn affects their preparations.
However, a high school management has decided to step in and tackle this issue with a unique initiative. To keep the students away from cricket fever, the management gave them accommodation at the school itself after a session of evening studies. This was done to ensure that they fared well in the SSLC examinations without any influence of cricket.
The government high school at Narsha maidan in the taluk is the model school which took this initiative.
The teachers of this school knew very well that the World Cup final match between New Zealand and Australia on Sunday March 29 would affect the preparations of SSLC students for the examinations. Hence they arranged evening study and night stay for students at the school premises on Saturday and Sunday to keep them away from cricket.
As per information from Ramakrishna Rao, the headmaster of the school, the successful trial of evening study and night stay will continue till April 12 when the exams will be over. About 30 boy students have benefitted from this programme and the parents are said to be happy about the arrangement. It is said that whole programme was drafted only after getting consent from parents. Girl students have been excluded from the programme presently.
The education department had sent a circular long back asking school managements to improve the SSLC results this year. A special four-month strategy was drawn and implemented. But the school management comprising the teachers knew very well that cricket World Cup would be an impediment, mainly the final which was held a day before the examinations were to begin. Hence the students were called on Saturday and made to study in the school.
The successful programme liked by all continued on Sunday also. The evening study is held between 7 to 10 pm and the morning session starts early at 4.30 am with light exercise and yoga, followed by studies from 5 am to 7.30 am.
Food and refreshments are provided at the school premises. During day time there are some people employed to cook mid-day meal. For the evening meals, the physical education teacher has come to the rescue, volunteering to cook for the students without looking for any outside help.
Hall tickets were given only on Sunday so that everyone turned up without fail. Every day a teacher takes over as in charge of the programme.
Bantwal education officer Sheshanayana Karinja has said that holding of classes on holidays with the permission of parents to increase the quality of education by schools, especially by government schools is laudable. He has asked the parents to encourage this new trend, he said.