Even as engineering and medical courses continue to be looked upon as the holy grail of steady careers, a government school in the city is giving thrust to the study of humanities. Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Pattom, has established a separate section for raising the quality of study of humanities.
The section named Manavikam, on the third floor of the higher secondary block, has been equipped with a modern climate change study centre, a vegetable garden, and centre to help those preparing for Civil Services examinations.
Climate change
The climate change centre is aimed at increasing awareness among the students, and by extension their families and society, of the environment and its conservation against the backdrop of global warming and climate change. At 8.30 a.m. every day, the school students record rainfall, temperature, and wind speed using equipment at the centre. These are put up on the school notice board and presented in the morning assembly. The figures for Pattom for each year will be compared with those for other places and studied.
The students grow vegetables in 350 grow bags with the support of the Agriculture Department. Everything, from sowing of seeds, their nurturing, and harvesting, is done under the close eyes of the students. Drip irrigation technology is used to water the plants. The school hopes that even students without a green thumb will be able to take the lessons learnt from the school to their homes and set up gardens there.
Facilities have also been arranged for students looking to pursue a career in the Civil and other allied services. Besides a classroom stocked with reference books, classes are taken by experts for students of Plus One and Plus Two. The aim is to facilitate training for the students after school hours.
Geography lab
To make geography interesting, a lab with modern equipment has been set up here. The children get an opportunity to observe and study nature and its elements such as wind, rain, and sun in a scientific manner.
Zero-waste classroom
Yet another activity aimed at nurturing the students’ social consciousness is the zero-waste classroom initiative. With waste management becoming one of the most significant challenges faced by man, this initiative lays stress on ‘reduce, reuse, and refuse’ to inspire students to make the school and its premises waste-free. Avoiding the use of plastics, reducing wastage and dumping of unwanted stuff, and more awareness are the key aspects of the initiative.
