Roohi Sultana, a humble teacher from the valley of Kashmir has made her way to bag the National Teachers Award 2020. Sultana has been selected for her ‘play-way method’ to teach her students.
Roohi will be receiving this award along with 47 other educators from across India. They have been recognized for teaching using innovative methods. President Ramnath Kovind will recognize their efforts and give the award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this Teacher’s Day on September 5.
Hailing originally from the Nowshera sector, Roohi serves as a school teacher at Government Primary School Danger Pora, Tailbal Srinagar. She holds master’s degrees in both Urdu and Kashmiri, a bachelor’s degree in education, a certificate course in Hindi, and also three years degree course in calligraphy.
Speaking to a news agency she said that she had always wanted to be an educator.
“I have received my education from government institutes as I have completed my Masters in Urdu and Kashmiri languages, I have done B. Ed (Bachelor of Education), also a degree course in calligraphy and a certificate course in Hindi. I wanted to become a teacher since I was a child. I feel happy when around my students as they inspire me,” Sultana said.
Roohi who calls herself just a facilitator also serves as a content creator for Urdu and Kashmiri.
“I am connected with the board of school education as a content creator for the subjects Urdu and Kashmiri. I work in Diksha as an e-content creator and I also provide online classes to students through all India radio broadcasts in Srinagar,” she added.
Her play-way teaching
The play-way method of learning is a method that enables the overall development of the child in terms of feelings, intellect and skills parameters. It not only focuses on subjective development but the emotional development of the child as well. In this method of learning, playing acts as the driving force as the entire learning method revolves around activity-based learning. It encourages expression and creative skills among children.
The 49-year-old reportedly collects waste materials such as plastic covers, sawdust, and tea leaves from different shops and uses those materials to teach her kids.
Speaking to The Print, she said that used plastic covers of wheat flour can be used to write for practice. Likewise, she writes nouns and word-meaning on used bottles. To sharpen the kid’s vocabulary, she further writes words on toffee rappers and asks the kids to arrange them. She also creates shapes and letters from sawdust and dried tea leaves while using them like clay.
“I use a play-way method to teach my students. I teach them with innovative methods so that students could have all concepts cleared while learning in the classroom,” she explains.
In order to procure these waste mundane things, Sultana has to ask the shopkeepers around but she feels no shame to do so. She aims to make her students better human beings and dedicates her award to them solely.
We salute teachers like her.