Maharashtra: Smile badges, no-bag days, keep rural school students motivated

Aurangabad: A government-run primary school in the Maharashtra district of Aurangabad has devised novel methods to keep students engaged with the institution and ensure attendance. There are only 50 students and two teachers at the zilla parishad-run primary school in Babuwadi-Chartha village.

The village is situated on a hill about 45 kilometres from the district headquarters. Over the years, the school for students up to Class 5 has implemented novel initiatives to teach children social responsibility, ensure that they care for the environment around the school, and motivate them to do well in school.

Whether it is helping their teachers clean the school every morning, planting saplings or enjoying 'no bag' days, children have come to love the school because of its initiatives.

Speaking about the latest 'smile badge' programme, the school's headmaster Sudhir Tupe said, "The COVID-19 pandemic changed the studying habits of students. The smile badge initiative was started to ensure that children are motivated to finish their homework."

Children who finish their homework win the badge and wear it during school hours, he said, adding that a committee of students has been formed to check the homework every day. "School begins at 9.30 am every day. But the children come half an hour early to help teachers clean the premises," Mr Tupe told the media.

In order to keep the students motivated to come to school, 'no bag' days have been observed since the last four to five years. "On no-bag days, we do some gardening, yoga and other fun activities. This has helped improve attendance and children love to come to school because of it," he said.

The school has also undertaken a plantation programme to maintain green cover in and around the facility, Mr Tupe said. "We have planted nearly 60 saplings since 2013 in the school premises. Students save some water in their bottles and water the trees on their way home every day," Mr Tupe said.

On the academic front, three students from the school have been admitted to Navodaya Vidyalayas, and 15 students have received scholarships since 2017, he said. According to Zilla Parishad education officer Jayashree Chavan, some of the school's initiatives have been replicated by other institutions in the district.