In an attempt to encourage students to practice honesty in their lives, the Corporation Middle School in Thennur has opened an ‘honesty shop’ where students can take required stationery and drop the money in a cash box, with no one to monitor them.
The shop sells notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, papers, sharpeners, scales, A4 sheets, etc. Price of each product is displayed on the tray and students can pick up the required items and drop the money in the box during the school working hours.
“The idea is to teach children life-oriented lessons. We want them to be self-aware and honest,” said Headmistress P. Vimala, who added that they had stocked ₹2,500 worth of products. The stationery items were purchased at wholesale price and sold to students at a non-profit rate, she said.
In this way, the students can make use of the shop and buy the stationery products on campus instead of going out to buy them, she added.
According to the headmistress, the experiment helps students learn how to handle money. “When students do not bring the exact amount for the item, they learn to get the balance amount for it. It helps them relate to what they learn in the classroom,” said Ms. Vimala.
The school has over 100 students. “Stocktaking will be done at the end of each day, and after a week we will evaluate the effectiveness of the system”, the headmistress added.
