Rajkot: Faced with chronically empty classrooms and high absenteeism, a primary school teacher in Bhavnagar district turned attendance around with a simple but innovative idea. Over the past four years, Natha Chavda helped raise attendance from a dismal 45% to an impressive 96% among students of Classes 5 to 8 at Zaverchand Meghani Primary School.For years, low attendance had plagued the school, where nearly 80% of the students belong to minority communities. Most parents are daily wage labourers who leave for work in the morning. While they sent their children to school, many students would instead spend the day working at tea stalls or scrap yards.Even during the Covid lockdown, Chavda kept up efforts to keep students connected with their studies. He realised that tackling absenteeism required addressing the socioeconomic factors.The turning point came after schools reopened. Recognising a simple childhood desire, Chavda devised a reward-based attendance programme. He approached local social organisations and secured donations of eight bicycles for the school.“I know from my childhood that every child around nine or 10 years old is eager to pedal a bicycle. These underprivileged students do not have access to one,” Chavda said.He proposed that students who maintained 100% attendance on all working days in a month would be allowed to come to school on Sunday and ride a bicycle of their choice for one to two hours.The incentive worked almost immediately. Eager to earn Sunday riding privileges, students began attending regularly. Today, the once-struggling school has classrooms operating at capacity.
