Kerala - Kochi   

Green clubs in schools launch new programmes

Staff Reporter

Teachers will take the initiative in identifying action plans

KOCHI: Green clubs in Ernakulam district plan to revive their activities after a brief lull.

More than 150 schools had introduced such groups as part of the National Green Corps (NGC) project, initiated by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

An awareness campaign held at the FBOA Hall in Aluva on Tuesday marked the new phase of programmes formulated by the green clubs.

Experts in environment protection programmes delivered lectures. Nearly 100 teachers attended the seminar sponsored by the C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer Foundation and World Wildlife Fund for Nature. Resource materials were also distributed to the participants.

"Teachers will now take the initiative in identifying action plans," said S. Sitaraman, district coordinator of the project. "Focus will be on environmental improvement activities. Schools might get more financial assistance for introducing environmental projects involving children. Last year, we had given Rs.1,000 to each school for carrying out projects on environment protection. Green clubs will receive Rs.2,500 each from this year onwards," he added.

NGC project

Under the NGC project, students deal with real situations and people, rather than textbooks, ensuring a relevant educational experience.

Action projects help in building skills which are difficult to acquire from textbooks.

In selecting a project, the first step requires the teacher to make a list of possible projects. An action project need not always address a problem or an issue.

Environmental protection activities which include creating nesting sites or flower gardens are equally productive projects, as they help students acquire important skills such as planning, observation and systematic implementation.

Students can discuss the possibilities and collectively decide which project to take up.

Teachers can explain the feasibility of each project taken up for implementation. Practical aspects like support for the project from the school management and time required for its implementation should also be analysed.

Projects should also integrate an educational process which involves and encourages experimentation among the students.

An action plan has to be developed after the students select a project. The class could work in four or five groups, each group having a specified set of tasks to perform. Students could also list other resources needed to carry out the project. They may also think of ways to inform the rest of the school community about the project.

Each group can keep a record of the progress of the project. As the project nears completion, students can assess the project. They could also conduct surveys to determine how others in the school and the community perceived the project.

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