Kolkata, Jan 23 (PTI) The West Bengal education department is all set to roll out a new initiative --'Paray Sikshalay' (neighborhood school) -- under which primary and pre-primary students of state-run schools will be given lessons in open spaces, an official here said on Sunday.

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The project, having received the approval of state secretariat 'Nabanna', would be roping in para-teachers and primary school teachers to impart elementary education to students of classes 1 to 5.

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"Children have long been deprived of tutorial lessons owing to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced restrictions. We have now decided hold classes on open ground," he said.

Besides elementary education, students would be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as elocution and painting, the official added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)