A 38-year-old teacher from a remote village in Raichur district of Karnataka has entered the India Book of Records (IBR) for directing a short film on Vidyagama, a government programme that was launched during Covid-19. Under this programme, the State Government took schools to the doorsteps of children for nearly two months.
In this programme, government teachers, under Vatara Shale (tenement schooling) scheme, held classes in shrines, community halls, homes and other available open spaces in rural areas of Karnataka.
Vidyagama was launched in August 2020, but was abruptly halted in October 2020 fearing spread of Covid-19.
The film on Vidyagama was made by Shankar Devaru Hiremath, who works in Duggamma Gunda primary school at Devi Cluster Camp in Sindhanur taluk, which is about 418 km from Bengaluru.
Background of Vidyagama initiative in Karnataka
During the Covid-19 pandemic, following closure of schools, thousands of children were pushed into child labour.
The 19-minute film depicts the challenges faced by teachers in remote villages of Raichur district to bring children, who were drifted away from education, back to the academic fold, and how children, who had taken up work for daily wages, were convinced to quit their jobs.
Mr. Hiremath was among a group of teachers who toiled day and night to assemble around 30 children in Duggamma Gunda village. The small villages has 24 houses. With the help of some children, he organised a jatha (procession). Participants holding placards visited every house spreading awareness about the significance of learning and dispelling the fear of Covid-19.
“The jatha played a pivotal role in pushing parents to send children to school. The parents were sending children to work for want of money,” said Mr. Hiremath.
The efforts paid off handsomely with children from nearby villages also attending the tenement school. Although Vidyagama was stopped officially, the teachers continued their work as parents and children showed interest.
“After a while, I developed the idea of making a short film to show how teachers educated children in rural pockets. After this film was made, a few people suggested sending it to IBR. The IBR has now sent a certificate of appreciation and registered the movie under child education category,” Mr. Hiremath informed.
Former Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar, who launched the Vidyagama programme, told The Hindu that the achievement of Mr. Hiremath is a proud moment for Karnataka and government teachers. Vatara Shale was introduced in rural areas where there is no access to online classes. Lakhs of children benefitted from the programme, but unfortunately he was forced to stop. While many children, who had left school, came back, failure to continue the programme made several children resort to work for daily wages. “I called to congratulate Shankar Devaru Hiremath for this milestone,” Mr. Suresh Kumar said.
