The virtual education posed tremendous challenges in the interiors of India, the more innovation held hands of every diligent pupil, carving a way beyond screens and technology.

One such story of innovation and persistence comes from Sanghvi – a village under Renapur tehsil of Latur district in central Maharashtra – where Balaji Baburao Jadhav 35, has been selected for the Honey Bee Network Creativity Inclusive Innovation Award 2020, a PTI report confirmed.

Jadhav has been hailed as the Zilla Parishad teacher at Vijayanagar in Maan tehsil of Satara district who won the award for his teaching through conference call method. He also devised a free e-library as a part of a project he claims to have reached 20 districts of Maharashtra, 24 states in the country and 14 countries in the world.

Coming from a farming background, Jadhav shot to fame for the first time in 2015, when he developed 16 apps for the benefit of students, parents and teachers. His aim was to help children particularly from the first to fourth grade to avail constructive learning facility. The applications – offline in nature – proved a boon for students, particularly from rural and remote areas where Internet connectivity is a major problem.

This time with a pandemic induced lockdown when there was no scope of physical learning in classrooms, Balaji Baburao Jadhav taught 10 students at one time in conference call in the morning and evening. Parents of these students were mostly shepherds and labourers, who had simple keypad mobile phones and faced network issues in rural areas. He concentrated on developing four fundamental skills of language, listening, speaking, reading and writing (LSRW) among students.

His USP, storytelling as a form of teaching, helped children develop their listening skills. After developing listening skill, students would narrate the same story through which they developed speaking skill. After that, Jadhav asked students to write down stories in a notebook. He used storytelling format to draw and retain the attention of pupils. Then, he asked students to record the stories. Now, students have made an e-library of 500 recorded stories. In this way, my students developed four fundamental skills of language and now they are perfect in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

“I am confident that my students will become good news anchors, reporters, writers and speakers, Jadhav told PTI.

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For his teaching innovation during the lockdown, Jadhav was selected for the award on December 24. The award is jointly instituted by Honey Bee Network and GIAN and is given to ideas for creativity and innovation or to traditional knowledge practices which solve day-to-day problems faced by the society. Jadhav was congratulated by NCP MP Supriya Sule, state ministers Amit Deshmukh and Varsha Gaikwad, among others, for his achievement.

So far, Jadhav has received more than 70 state, national and international awards.

“My project is followed in 20 districts of Maharashtra, 24 states in the country and 14 countries in the world. The benefit of people is my real satisfaction than an award,” he said.

“I am happy to be honoured. I will try to connect with more teachers with such platforms in the future,” Jadhav said.