11-year-old student spreads cheer of learning amid the pandemic

Tribune School Desk

Chandigarh, October 28

Covid-19 has caused a serious disruption in academics with the closure of schools as schoolkids are stuck at home for the past several months. But 11-year-old Kushal Khemani, a Class VI student of Euro School, Wakad, has made full use of the opportunity to follow his passion and make a difference to the teaching-learning amid the pandemic.

In order to ensure continued, uninterrupted learning during the pandemic, Kushal has set up an on-call support system for pre-primary teachers to assist them in their shift from the traditional to digital mode of teaching.

His efforts got a good response as within a span of just 40 days, he helped to impart training to more than 60 teachers on ways of using Zoom effectively, and understand MS Office and MS Powerpoint for animated and effective presentations for hundreds of pre-primary students.

Kushal is a multifaceted young boy with interest in reading, making cartoons, swimming, golfing etc. He has won many trophies, medals and certificates in academics and robotics and had designed an app for people who can’t speak. Using technology to help solve different problems is the key inspiration for this Class VI student who wants to become a car designer in future. He has utilised his Covid “break” to follow his passion with more dedication.

While on the one hand Kushal has used his digital prowess to organise virtual birthday Zoom parties to cheer up his friends and family, on the other he started his own YouTube channel — Allspark Infinite — in mid-May 2020, to share his learnings with his classmates, as well as to provide free learning to underprivileged children.

He has recorded over 40 videos on a variety of topics ranging from elocution tips, ways to end procrastination, how to prepare word documents, etc.

Kushal also has a blog https://allsparkinfinite.blogspot.com/ where he discusses the latest technologies and different skills to survive the modern world.

Speaking about his mission to empower 10,000 students in the world to become positive thinkers, Kushal said, “Nurturing talent through continuous engagement is the key. I believe in learning and accomplishing more and more each day. The openness in day-to-day discussions, exposure, motivation that my school has provided me made a huge difference”.

Kushal has also penned a book titled YOU GOT THIS- 11 Secrets to A Progressive Student Life, in which he provides motivational tips to students to bring about a change and instill positive thinking among them during these testing times. Kushal is also involved in the Social Entrepreneurship programme with GOODCLAP, where he formed SPARKX Animal Welfare to rescue and feed animals on a daily basis.

Speaking about Kushal, Ms. Renuka Dutta, Principal of EuroSchool Wakad said, “The pedagogy at EuroSchools has been designed so that students are encouraged to ‘discover their inner strengths’ and bring their ideas to life. There is a beautiful balance of academics & extra-curricular initiatives. The focus is to facilitate innovation by project-based learning, organising competitions, and building challenges for children to create and build from their imagination. We are extremely proud of Kushal as he uses his digital knowledge to teach other children and teachers, to be tech-savvy.”