'Faridpur Virtual School' brings opportunity for learning in pandemic

Schools take up online classes during the pandemic

The twin sisters Israt Jahan Anisha and Nusrat Jahan Tanisha, (14) are attending the virtual classes using their father’s android phone that brings them the opportunity to enjoy the online classes, reports BSS.

Although they are residing in their house of Jamadder Dangi village of Charmadhobdia union under sadar upazila (10 kilometer off their own school), they get learning opportunity through virtual classes.

They are the students of class nine of Saroda Sundari Girls’ High School in district town which is closed for last 14 months in line with the government instructions in the wake of coronavirus pandemic but they continued their class through virtual platform.

The word ‘virtual’ was an imaginary term to them but their father Mawlana Abu Ayub Anasari introduced them the virtual class connecting internet through his mobile device in the time of lockdown period.

“Now the twin can spontaneously log in Facebook and enjoy the live classes timely performed by their respective teachers daily .They take notes as they need , ask questions and submit their home works in the comment box”, Ayub Ansari said.

The twin Anisha and Tanisha with a same tone said “we are happy that we are getting our virtual classes as well as our teachers are in our house via the digital hubs specially laptop and anroid phone.”

“Those who don’t have any devices can enjoy the classes on TV screen if they wish,” they added.

But all has been possible due to an online platform named Faridpur Virtual School (Amar Ghore Amar School -My Home My School) that connects thousands of students with their teachers and institutions in the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Apurba Kumar Das, a senior teacher of Faridpur Govt Girls’ High School, is the brainchild of the digital initiative, which has given a new taste of learning and took back the students in the schools.

As the country as well as the educational institutions are facing lockdown period, the idea of taking virtual classes peeped through the mind of Apurba.

Consulting with A2i officials and experts, Apurba got an inspiration and created a page titled Faridpur Online School using facebook. He invited different teachers and students to be the members of that page.

He then started taking live classes using his own phone, whiteboard and marker residing in his house of Roghunadanpur (behind Mohim School) area in the town. His invitation for learning staying at home encouraged the young learners day by day and the page he created was joined by the interested guardians, students and different teachers.

Apurba continued his class tirelessly from the different time of day and night pleading all to be connected with this virtual platform for joining the classes on different subjects.

However a total of 7400 ( 7.4k) people became the members of the page which served free learning scope to the students from Primary to Masters level.

Later Das took a training class for the other teachers on “How to conduct virtual class using android phone.” Numerous teachers in different educational institutions joined hand with Apurba and started taking classes on respective subjects through the new platform.

While talking to BSS Apurba said, “My three associates- Sourav Biswas, Krishno Saha, Udoy Karmokar and I initiated a page first titled Faridpur Online School where any student can enjoy the classes on different subjects without giving any payment or admission.”

“I could not believe that I would get such huge appreciation,” he mentioned.

Consequently, the concept of online school that Apurba introduced had encouraged the students who were passing time idly between the four walls of the house in fear of being infected with Covid-19.

Following Das, the colleagues and a flock of noble teachers of different educational institutions started taking classes through Facebook Live.

“I have already taken 100 classes from primary to Masters’ level and all those classes have been dedicated to father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his birth centenary as his sprit and dynamic leadership has presented us Sonar Bangla”, Das added.

Now Deputy Commissioner Atul Sarker as well as Faridpur district administration spread its hands to patronize Apurba with the highest effort of technical and systematical support.

Convening a virtual meeting attended by the teachers, Deputy Commissioner Atul Sarker urged the teachers to run the online classes from the same platform with the modified name “Faridpur Virtual School” that would be an iconic one in the country.

The best classes delivered by teachers are screened on local video channels besides Sangsad Television as per the meeting’s decisions.

According to district education office, more than 250 teachers of 371 educational institutions here have been engaged in teaching on this virtual platform as per a weekly routine with close monitoring by district administration.

Bishnupodo Ghoshal, District Education Officer said, “Apurba Kumar Das has given his utmost effort to introduce a new idea and the district administration has taken a timely initiative to continue the lessons among the students in the time of pandemic.”

Thousands students of different educational institutions in the district including primary, secondary and even higher Secondary level have been benefitted from this virtual classes, he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (education & ICT) Mohammad Saiful Kabir said Faridpur Virtual School had connected thousands of students in the district.

“A set of gracious teachers specially Apurba Kumar Das had set an example of teaching for the betterment of students. Now most of the educational institutions are conducting such online classes with their best effort that will bring a blissful future of the students,” he added.