COIMBATORE: Lack of seriousness on the part of the school administration in tending to the vegetable gardens grown on roof tops of the city corporation school buildings, has resulted in the plants getting withered and dried up.
Growing of vegetables was started in three corporation schools to motivate students to involve themselves with nature, but the project has been abandoned now.
Sources said that out of the 16 corporation higher secondary schools, vegetable gardens were developed on the roof tops of three schools since December 2013 - the Peelamedu, Rathinapuri and Oppanakara street school buildings. Tomatoes, ladies finger, brinjal and spinach were raised on these buildings, and were maintained by class 8 and class 9 students of the National Green Corps (NGC) of the school.
These vegetables were used in the daily noon meal menu every day, and surplus vegetables were given away to nearby schools.
Sources said that the practice of growing vegetables helped students to understand nature better, and it motivated them to cultivate vegetables even at home. However, the scheme was not implemented effectively in corporation schools.“Last year, the students used to write their comments after having lunch every day at the noon meal centre about the taste of vegetables,” said Balusamy, Headmaster, Corporation Higher Secondary School, Peelamedu.
According to sources, students maintained the roof tops vegetable gardens by watering them and preventing them from damages, till their exam time. But, the crops dried after the students went on leave for summer holidays during April and May, this year.
Balusamy confirmed that they are yet to get effective vegetables like last year. However, they are still getting a few vegetables from the school garden and using it at the noon meal centres.
“We have decided to convene a meeting with three school headmasters to get their suggestions in the coming days. The suggestions will be forwarded to the Corporation Commissioner K Vijayakarthikeyan,” said R Ravi, Chief Educational Officer (CEO), in-charge of City Corporation Schools.
“Steps will be taken to revive the project in three schools at the earliest, and more number of students will also be involved in the gardening practice,” said the Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation.