THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to promote the conservation of environment and water resources with the participation of students, schools will become bio-diversity gardens with the help of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) from the coming academic year.The Department of Public Education has created bio-diversity gardens at around 1,800 schools with the aid of the SSA, which introduced the plan last year to enable the growth of the students’ physical and mental aptitudes.
The bio-diversity gardens will offer a platform for students to be part of simple agriculture activities and inculcate the habit of farming early among students.The faculty and students will oversee the maintenance of the gardens. The project enabled the participation of students while designing, constructing and taking care of the gardens. The project will focus on eco-friendly methods of cultivation by giving priority to local plants.
A rich collection of fruit trees, medicinal plants, flowering plants, coconut saplings, paddy and other cereal plants will be cultivated at the bio-diversity gardens.According to SSA project director A P Kuttikrishnan, the aim of the bio-diversity gardens was to make the children environment-friendly. He said special registers and committees will come into existence at schools after the official launch of the project in the coming academic year.The concept of bio-diversity parks was introduced to generate the awareness that the Earth belongs to all.Last year, the government had decided to give awards to the best bio-diversity parks at the district and state level.