The pandemic has been a tough blow for students across all grades and age groups. Online classes have gradually become a new normal but not all students can bear a multitude of preconditions technology demands and one such precondition is access to the internet. Hemalatha is one of many teachers in India who have come up with innovative ways to help students in continuing their studies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hemalatha teaches the Tamil language to students in S Kunathur Government Higher Secondary School situated at Gingee, Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu. She saved all of her virtual lectures in pen-drives and later delivered them to students lacking internet facilities.
She saved all the 53 chapters and 6 essays of her Tamil subject in 30 pen-drives and delivered them to her students directly. Hemalatha was primarily concerned about the students belonging to rural areas since they are vulnerable to forgetting their syllabus as the regular classes have been affected because of the pandemic situation. Hemalatha soon found helping hands in the form of her former student Shahil Hameed who is now a robotic engineer. He helped her with the graphic designing of the video lectures.
“As most students in rural areas lack internet access, it is difficult for them to carry on with online classes. They can use these USB drives anywhere by accessing a laptop, which must be available with college students in their areas,” The New Indian Express quoted Hemalatha as saying.
Owing to Hemalatha’s dedication and passionate efforts to educate her students selflessly in such tough circumstances, she was also awarded the Best Teacher Award 2020 by the state government of Tamil Nadu.
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