After the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers at Government Upper Primary School, Manassery, in the hilly Mukkam municipality of Kozhikode faced a peculiar situation.
They observed that a large number of children in the school, which has a strength of more than 1,000 students, would take leave owing to vomiting, stomach ache, or diarrhoea. The students, particularly those studying in Class I, did not have proper daily habits and were not maintaining hygiene. They were not toilet-trained and did not wash their hands regularly, said schoolteacher Midhun K.
Sharing the school’s experience and how they addressed the issue at an ‘Inter-School Leadership Academy Regional Seminar of South Indian States on School Leadership’ in the State capital on Tuesday, Mr. Midhun, who began his teaching career just before COVID-19, recalls that post-pandemic, teachers observed children’s inability to follow routine habits and parents’ inability to impress upon them the importance of these.
“Once the children returned to school after COVID-19, they would keep asking for a toilet break every 10 minutes. Some children did not brush their teeth before coming to school. Others did not know how to clean themselves.”
To find a solution, the school resource group did some brainstorming and decided to organise an awareness class for the students. They know, though, that a conventional format for such a class will not be of any help to the students, and so came up with the idea of a one-day camp titled ‘Habit Lab’ for students and their parents. The 80-odd first graders were divided into groups. A teacher dressed up as a cartoon character narrated a story as part of which the children would take up various activities.
Brushing, toilet use, breakfast habits, washing clothes were all demonstrated to children through narration at the camp held last year. To get children to help their parents in the kitchen, they were shown how to prepare food. Children were also introduced to the concept of good touch and bad touch so that they could protect themselves from unwanted advances.
A grade card with stars increased the students’ enthusiasm for the activities. A camp fire at the end and gifts were added bonuses.
The camp had a huge impact on the children. They wrote favourably about the camp in their ‘Samyuktha’ diary in which each day’s events are recorded. Parents reported that students began doing things independently and even shared their newfound ‘knowledge’ with other family members.
“The school has also started keeping soap and water in class so that the students can wash their hands regularly. They do not have to be told to do it any longer,” says Mr. Midhun.
Taking heart from the result of the Habit Lab, the school plans to extend it to other classes. “Habit Lab helped put students into a routine that had been lost during the pandemic. Now, we are thinking of turning our attention to social media addiction among students in other grades,” says Mr. Midhun.
Published – November 04, 2025 09:14 pm IST
