SHILLONG, OCT 20: Not every day will one come across schools and village community partnering with government official to try and connect the students with nature and teach them hands on to understand the true sources of their food.
Three schools in remote Mulum village of West Jaintia hills with a population of just 815 have taken up on themselves the onus of social responsibility to get their students to reconnect with the natural world and make them understand the true source of their food.
The objective to connect the students to the natural world was not just to teach them the benefits of gardening and agriculture concepts but to integrate the several subjects learnt in school such as math, science, art, health and physical education.
The village along with the Block Development Officer L Tariang decided to have a school garden for the students so that they could be taught not only about gardening but also learn to appreciate nature’s bounty.
The school garden got off at Lower Primary School Mulum under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) though initially there was no space for making a school garden in the school campus. The school could get a garden after filling mud in the school campus and constructed a bamboo fencing for growing the seeds in this garden.
Students were taught and guided by the knowledge holders of Village Executive Committee (VEC) on how to cultivate vegetables and take care of it.
The community, school authority and the BDO believes that this initiative is bound to have a positive impact on student achievement and social behaviour as it will increase the children’s knowledge and attitude towards the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. The students will also take pride of being responsible for cultivation for their community.- By Our Reporter
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