Teacher Creates Park To Make Math More Enjoyable

A school teacher from Paikmal block in Bargarh has created a first-of-its-kind 'Maths Park' on the premises of the government primary school in his village Pujharipali in his quest to ensure quality education for the children of his village and to remove the fear of mathematics from children's minds.

Subash Chandra Sahu, a cluster resource centre coordinator (CRCC) from the district's Lakhmara panchayat, has created a park with a 20 decimal space to teach youngsters arithmetic in a fun and participatory way. From the painted rocks to the canopy and benches, every component in the park symbolises geometrical forms, mathematical symbols, or numbers.

It also includes installations that allow students to comprehend the fundamentals and principles of mathematics in a hands-on manner.Wall paintings and standees depicting information about renowned mathematicians and theorems are also available. The park opened two months ago and has already become a popular destination for children. It was built from the ground up, with Subash and a few other like-minded locals footing the bill.

The goal, he explained, is for students to become adept in mathematics. The park has attracted pupils not just from Pujharipali primary school, but also from secondary schools in the surrounding districts and, on rare instances, from neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

He mentioned that this park is also meant to keep kids occupied while they play and to help them learn while they do so. Students have found it challenging to concentrate in class when schools resumed after an extended hiatus. He stated that however, outside of class hours, they spend time in the park completing sums and studying tables with the help of installations.

In reality, Sahu's creative learning technique has given the Pujharipali community a distinct character in terms of basic education. When schools were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, Sahu painted learning materials on alphabets, numerals, maps, and hung various charts on trees and began educating the village youngsters beneath them.

As a result, he began putting up various charts outside every house in his community so that youngsters could learn something every time they went outside. He's also erected billboards along village roads with photographs and information about independence fighters.