JOIN USStudents to get slice of farming
There is a fable of a king who died of starvation as all that he touched turned into gold. Similar is the case of the youth of our country who are all set to hit jackpots with high paid corporate and industrial jobs, but will soon have nothing to eat as there will be no farmers to grow crops.
Taking this issue seriously Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will start “Chinnarige Krushi Vrutti Darshana” (Agri tour) to bring the youth closer to what is called the mainstay of Indian society-agriculture.
SSA is all set to introduce students to a variety of vocations pertaining to farm sector like horticulture, sericulture, bio-fuel, organic farming, apiculture, fisheries, poultry, vermicompost, rainwater harvesting, diary farming, kitchen gardening and others.
The first-of-its kind programme is proposed to start in the academic year 2012-13 after the action plan by SSA is approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
According to the action plan, students from standard VIII will be taken out on agri tour. The district SSAs have been asked to prepare a list of places, having a maximum of five venues in a block. Selection of the students for the tour must be done from three categories namely Girls education, Urban Deprived Children (UDC) and minorities. A sum of Rs 150 would be allotted for each child.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Project Coordinator N Shivprakash said that 4000 girl students will be selected in the girl education under innovative activity, 1667 children under UDC category and 800 children under minority category for the tour.
“Approximately 75 per cent of children studying in VIII standard in government schools will be taken out on tour. Depending on the success, there are plans to take all students in future,” he said and added that the tour may be held in August 2012.
“At present we are preparing a list of places and a route map. We have also been asked to prepare a guidance-literature on places. Students learn more effectively when exposed to a practical situation,” said Shivprakash.
DK district is not short of these places. We have the medicinal garden at Alva’s, the milk dairy at Kulshekar, the Soans farm at Moodbidri and our very own kitchen garden at Suribail school, he added.
“The present day children are stuck in a concrete jungle and lack basic knowledge on different types of farming sectors. This tour will give them a practical insight and will develop cognitive, application, thinking, analysing, decision making capabilities among students. Innovative education methods will reduce school drop out rate. Students when provided with multi-skill exposure are found to integrate it according to the need of the situation depending on the context,” said DK ZP Chief Executive Officer Dr K N Vijayprakash.