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A scientific experiment

Staff Reporter

School students take up bio-fertilizer project

NATURE AND SCIENCE: Students of Veeraveli Government Girls Middle School explain their project to Balaveni, Branch Manager, SBI, Agricultural Development Branch (extreme left) and Hemavathy, school Headmistress. — Photo: T. Singaravelou

PUDUCHERRY: Rows of potted plants line the open terrace of the Government Girls Middle School in Veeraveli. This is not a garden but a scientific experiment that students of Standard VII have taken up.

The 27 pots contain black gram plants randomly treated with bio-fertilizer (Rhizobium) or Diammonium Phosphate (a chemical fertilizer) or soil. The plants will be checked for growth and yield after a few days.

During the recent Women's Day celebrations in the school, the children explained their project to Balaveni, manager, State Bank of India, Agricultural Development Branch.

This project is part of the "Make Science Competition", organised by Paris 11 (South) University, in which nine government schools are competing in 12 projects (three schools have two projects each).

The students — Tamilarasi, Sukanya, Flora, Malar and Sarlath — who volunteered to participate in the project, have been involved in it right from mixing the soil to weighing the seeds, to watering the plants and tending to them. "We were guided by our teacher Fathima Delphine and Soundarrajan and Hema from the Centre for Ecology and Rural Development, Bahour.

"We were encouraged to take up the project as it would help propagate the use of a natural fertilizer like Rhizobium. Chemical fertilizers, though they lead to good yields, do not leave any nitrogen in the soil," said the children.

The Pondicherry Science Forum is coordinating the competition. Veeraveli School headmistress and competition coordinator A Hemavathi said a total of 27 projects were submitted from government schools, of which 12 were selected.

"A team of judges of the Orsay Science Division from the Paris University evaluated the projects and selected the 12 best ones. The team also gave feedback on the merits and limitations of each proposal. The schools have started the projects and an interim report would be submitted in April. In the last week of May, a judge from France will evaluate the projects and the final selection would be done through video conferencing in the first week of June," she said.

Government middle schools from Muthirapalayam, Nallavadu, Pandasozhanallur, Veeraveli, Ariyankuppam and Sooriankuppam are taking part.

The Government Higher Secondary School from Indira Nagar, the Arignar Anna Government Higher Secondary School from Kunichampet and Pensionnat De Junes Filles Government Girls French High School are other participants at the competition.

The topics that the children of Standards VII, VIII, IX and XI in these schools have taken up include a study of Chikungunya, colour synthesis, vector borne diseases, impact of bio-fertilizers, save nature project, evaluation of pollution of drinking water and study of electrical circuits.

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