BENGALURU: Private and aided schools in Karnataka have welcomed Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar’s idea to emulate Kerala’s water bell concept in schools to ensure that students consume adequate amount of water.Water bells are breaks during which children are asked to consume water to prevent dehydration and urinary infections.
Indraprastha Vidyalaya in Uppinangady, Dakshina Kannada district, was the first school to implement this concept in Karantaka. They arrived at this decision after parents complained of children bringing back water without drinking it.
Jose MJ, Principal, Indraprastha Vidyalaya says, "After parents shared their grievances, we looked into it ... we found that many students complained of headache and stomachache frequently. We then concluded that it was owing to lack of fluids in their body. Immediately, we took a decision to introduce the concept of water bell. The first bell is at 10.35 am, after the first period, second bell at 12 noon and the last one is at 2 pm. We have teachers who keep a check on children to ensure that they are drinking adequate water."
Sister Sharlet, principal, St Mary’s Girls High School says, "We allow children to drink water at all times. They don’t have any specified timings to drink water. We have placed water purifiers in schools for the students. We know the importance of water breaks and will support the water bell concept wholeheartedly as it can benefit children."
Appreciating the initiative, Kavitha Neelayath, principal, VIBGYOR High School, Kadugodi says, "I read about this in the newspaper. Water bell programme is implemented in Kerala and Karnataka. We were very curious about this and we would like to implement this programme in our school too."
Paediatricians say that children, especially girls, avoid drinking water owing to lack of clean toilets in school. This often leads to mild dehydration and urinary infections.
Ayyappa Masagi, known as the water warrior, has launched a radio campaign too where every hour a bell rings and people are asked by the RJ to drink water.Kuldeep Naik, the show’s producer says,
We have begun to ring water bells every hour and after the bells rings, we announce on air that it’s time to drink water. Various actors and politicians have helped endorse this programme and we are planning to spread our campaign to various schools in Bengaluru."
They are also planning to spread the concept of water bells to parks, offices and public places. Dr Hemant Kumar Agarwal, a pediatrician says, "Most teenage girls carry water to schools but they consume less water because they don’t want to go to the unhygienic toilets. Water breaks are good because it will allow children to drink more water... but the schools should also focus on clean toilets too, which should be a primary concern."