For Class VII students of the Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School in West Saidapet, education does not end when the school bell rings in the evening. The students have recently taken to growing vegetables on the campus to learn more about agriculture and also help the school become self-reliant.
The initiative is part of the ‘Class Vision’ project conceptualised by one of the teachers at the school.
“We were having a problem-solving class, where we discussed the floods which hit the city and how important it was for us to align with nature. We then decided to do our bit by having our own organic garden at school,” said Shivaranjani R., a Teach For India fellow, currently teaching math and English at the school. Later, with help of the faculty, students and Alladi Mahadevan of Grow Your Own Veggies Trust, they kick-started the process a week ago.
As a first step, they went around the campus identifying suitable places to grow the veggies with a preference for spaces close to the school wall so that the playground wouldn’t be affected. After finding a suitable patch, they dug up the plot for a depth of around six inches and mixed the topsoil with dried cow dung before replacing it. “It was all done by the students. We only guided them,” said Mahadevan.
The students then sowed native seeds of three varieties including fenugreek. “The fenugreek seeds have sprouted. It is a great experience watching it,” said one of the students excitedly.
The students have a watering timetable, where each one is allotted a time to go and water the plants.
“The moment school is over, they all rush to the plants and spend their time observing and learning about them. A few have also started growing plants near their houses and it is important they know all this,” said Layla P.G., principal of the school, who also maintains a garden near her office. The school is also planning to use the vegetables for their noon meal scheme soon. “But we have 1,000 students, so we will have to wait and see how much grows,” she quipped.
