RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: While schools across India have often been blamed for only imparting theoretical knowledge and failing to provide students with practical answers to solve the issues of the world, the SC Colony Primary School in Marrigadda village, which is situated under Chandruthi mandal of Rajanna-Sircilla district, is taking an extra step this festive season to make students celebrate Sankranti responsibly.
While flying kites is a big part of Sankranti, their remains often litter the streets for days after the festival has ended. To address this, the in-charge headmaster, Sampathi Ramesh, has initiated a programme wherein students prepare eco-friendly kites with the help of newspapers and cotton thread instead of using the usual plastic sheets and nylon. “We started this initiative as part of the co-curricular activities as it will help promote environmental protection in addition to what they learn as part of their syllabus. Now, they can make their own kites at almost no cost and fly them,” Ramesh tells TNIE.
“It will be a rewarding experience for the students as well to see the kites they prepared with their own hands dot the horizons of the village early on the day of Sankranti,” he adds.
It has been a particularly bumpy ride for the students living in the area as the school was closed about four years ago, but reopened in September 2021.
While as many as 53 students currently study in the school, it was all possible due to the determination and perseverance of the locals, who took note of the rising dropouts and realised that a school was needed in the locality. With the help of practical activities, the learning levels improve, Ramesh says.He also sensitised students on the harmful effects of ‘Chinese manja’ and nylon threads, adding that it is harmful to not only birds but also human beings.