The Bengal government has finalised the venues that will operate as open-air facilities for imparting lessons to students of government and government-aided schools from pre-primary to Class VII from Monday.
An official of the Calcutta District Primary School Council said among the parks, Deshbandhu Ladies Park, Jatin Moitra Park, Northern Park, are some of the venues in the city.
Chetla Agrani Club and Marquis Square are also on the list. Some schools have been allowed to hold classes on their campus playground.
This is the first initiative to launch in-person classes across the state for students from pre-primary to Class VII since March 2020, when all campuses were closed because of the pandemic.
The open-air classes as part of the “Paray Shikshalay programme” will begin four days after in-person classes for students of classes VIII to XII started. The four-hour class schedule in a day (from 11am to 3pm) will be divided into two or three slots so there is a cap on the numbers of students depending upon the size of the venue.
Schools in a circle have been clustered for the open-air classes.
For example, institutions that come under circle XVIII will be held in Chetla Agrani Club in Ward No. 83 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Schools in circle IX will be organised in a health/vaccination centre in front of Topsia Sports Federation group in Topsia Road.
An official of the education department said Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School has been allowed to hold the classes on the ground inside its premises.
“Initially it was decided that the classes of the school would be held in Allen Park. But considering the difficulty in arranging water and toilet facilities in the park, it was decided that they would be held on the campus,” said an official.
A primary school in central Kolkata too has been allowed to hold the classes on the school ground and students of three adjoining schools will also take part.
Another official said initially they thought of using the community halls as the venue for open-air schools.
“But getting community halls in the season of marriage is not easy. The hall operators are more interested in accepting the offers for hosting marriages or receptions, after a slump in business. So, we are focusing on parks, clubs or the grounds inside the school compound.”
Paschim Banga Samagra Shiksha Mission, a wing of the department that is overseeing implementation of the programme, said organisations like Liver Foundation, CINI, Pratham, Vikramshila have been engaged across the districts for the implementation of the programme.
