Podar International School appoints “water monitors” for its younger classes to check whether a child is drinking adequate water during school time. If anyone’s water bottle has any leftover at the end of the day, the child is encouraged to water plants with it.
This is one step among others, through which the Howrah school is imparting knowledge to its students about the crucial topic of today’s world — Save Water.
Ritsika Ghosh of Class VI, who had no clue about rainwater harvesting, is now an advocate of both water conservation and rainwater harvesting. Her classmate, Sk Sahil, also plans to water plants with rainwater this season.
Here the students are learning lessons on climate change, water conservation and pollution through creative activities. Since this year, students of Classes III to VII have been involved in spreading awareness about water conservation through projects and street plays around the institute’s locality.
"We have a theme every year. The students work on projects, models and skits on it," said teacher Esha Naskar, the external event co-ordinator of the school.
The students have performed a skit thrice, once in the school and twice in neighbourhoods to teach local people — how to stop water waste from taps, reuse and use water judiciously while doing household chores. Anushka Naskar of Class VI plays Nila in the play, her character learning why not to waste water while brushing her teeth.
The students have also made feeders and water bowls for the birds on the school grounds.
"Life skill and social service are an important part of our curriculum. Every class chooses its project. We have taught children to be kind to the environment through simple activities such as not plucking flowers. Water conservation is also stressed upon," said principal Shabnam Bhowmick.
Of late, many schools are using activities to teach their students about conservation. The net result is greater awareness.
"In January, we conducted an art event where KG and Class I kids were asked to draw a clean river, not just any river. The activity was meant to teach them lessons about water conservation, " said Sujoy Biswas, principal of Ram Mohan Mission High School.
Arohi Suryavanshi, a Class X student of I.P. Memorial School, Howrah, remembers the time when they made good use of rainwater in school. "Last year during the monsoon, every student was encouraged to collect rainwater and store it in the school tank. We used it to water the greens that we had planted," she said.
