During Covid pandemic schools were shut down for more than one and half years. To continue teaching-learning activities, online classes or other digital modes of interaction were used in scattered ways but it did not reach a vast number of students which created a digital divide.
In this context we started Pandemic (Free) Pathshala where our volunteers conducted teaching-learning activities in their surroundings in a physical space with a very small number of children maintaining social distancing and other Covid protocol.
We operated 6 such pathshalas in Kanchrapara, Canning abd Bali Island. The Pathshalas were operating from two to four days per week depending on the need of the local children. Children were provided with exercise books and other stationaries at the time of joining the Pathshala. A small packet of refreshment was also given to each child every day of pathshala. The volunteers facilitating the teaching-learning activities in pathshalas were given a token amount of honorarium. With re-opening of schools post pandemic, these pathshalas were closed down.
