Coronavirus: Village school conducts classes on WhatsApp

Coronavirus may have led to the closure of schools and colleges in Maharashtra, but technology and social media apps have come to the rescue of students.

A zilla parishad school at Bangalwadi in Osmanabad district is using WhatsApp to run its routine classes.

The government had directed schools and colleges in the state to remain shut till March 31, due to the coronavirus outbreak in the state.

Despite the lockdown, educators at a school in Bangalwadi village of Paranda tehsil have ensured that there are no roadblocks in the process of learning, by conducting classes on WhatsApp.

Teachers have formed class-wise WhatsApp groups to help students continue their studies without interruption.

"I have been posting videos about different chapters for my students. I allot poems and other assignments to children every day at 8 am. Students also post their homework assignments on WhatsApp," said Vishwas Gaikwad, who teaches primary classes.

As many as 75 students are part of these groups, he added.

Children whose parents don't have smartphones, have enrolled for these WhatsApp classes with the help of their relatives and neighbours, Gaikwad said.

"We have seen some positive changes in children who are lazy. They have now started working hard, as their parents are able to monitor their progress," he said.

Classes via videoconferencing are quite common in city schools, education officer for primary schools S M Jadhav said.

"However, the use of such technology in rural areas is rare. Students may have stopped coming to school, but teachers haven't stopped their classes," he added.