New Delhi: To help students who do not have access to online lessons, Tripura has started open-air classes in the vicinity of schools. Called ‘neighbourhood classes’, these sessions are held in groups of five students in their locality.
Pupils from grades 3 to 12 in government and government-aided schools have been invited to join this initiative. The classes start with a 10-minute introduction on Covid-19 and advice on precautionary measures.
“Over 27,500 teachers would go to the students’ locality and teach them in small groups in open space, consisting of maximum five students by maintaining social distancing, proper face covers and following safety measures,” Tripura Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath has said.
Visited the ongoing Neighborhood Classes.
The students are first taught about precautions to be taken to combat COVID19.
Happy to hear the positive feedbacks from Students, Guardians and Teacher's on neighborhood Classes.@EduMinOfIndia@DrRPNishank pic.twitter.com/JyWFZowuQw— Ratan Lal Nath (@RatanLalNath1) August 22, 2020
Nath also said teachers have been asked to not force students or their guardians into attending these classes. According to Nath, more than 1 lakh students have already turned up for these classes that began last week.
A survey conducted by the state education department earlier had revealed that 29 per cent of the state’s 3.22 lakh students did not have mobile phones and around 44 per cent (1.42 lakh) had no access to a television.
BBC documentary series features Assam feminist pioneer
Chandraprabha Saikiani, who spearheaded the feminist movement in Assam, has been featured in a documentary series by the BBC Hindi. Saikiani is known for her fight against patriarchal structures, the caste system and rejecting child marriage.
The documentary spotlights 10 women who have strengthened the foundations of democracy and raised their voice for women’s rights. The two-minute-22-second clip on Saikiani was uploaded by the BBC Hindi on YouTube on 22 August. It has so far received over 10,000 views.
The clip shows her participation in the Independence movement, protesting a segregated sitting arrangement at the Nagaon session of Asom Sahitya Sabha and riding a cycle across Assam to spread awareness among women of their rights. It also reflects upon her journey as a single mother in a conservative society.
13-yr-old from Manipur develops Covid-inspired mobile game
Baldeep Ningthoujam, 13, from Manipur has developed a mobile game called Coroboi, inspired by the pandemic. The game, which is based on Covid-19 guidelines, is now available for Android users.
A student of Class 9 at the Premier English School in Manipur’s Canchipur, Ningthoujam said he had browsed through YouTube and read articles for three or four weeks to develop the game. “I want to be an ethical hacker and learn more about Artificial Intelligence and other technologies. My uncle had suggested me to develop a game on Covid. So I became interested,” he said.
The description of the game on the Google Play Store reads, “Coroboi, a boy from India (Manipur) is stranded and wants to return home. Wearing Leirum Phee (Manipuri traditional cloth) and a mask, he will run towards his goal. He will be earning points during his journey. If the police caught him, a fine of 5,000 points will be deducted.”
Endangered silk moth spotted in Nagaland
The Madagascan Moon Moth, considered endangered, was recently found in Nagaland’s youngest district of Noklak. It was sighted last week during the dedicatory programme of the newly constructed Deputy Commissioner Office in the district.
One of the largest silk moths in the world, it is native to the Madagascar rainforests in East Africa. While the male has a wingspan of 20 cm and a tail span of 15 cm, the females have broader and rounder wings, with a much shorter tail. While it is endangered in the wild due to loss of its habitat, it has been reared in captivity.
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