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| Teacher Selvi discussing environmental issues with her students at a village |
During these days, it's a question how many school teachers have love for educating students on the threatening environmental issues.But, Mrs Selvi, a biology teacher at Kadhri Mills Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore, who is also a green activist, arms her students to battle the issues threatening the environment.
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| Selvi planting a sapling with her students |
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| A visit to Nandankarai check dam |
A School Teacher on a Green Mission
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| Selvi's students on a campaign at a village |
Selvi, who is a
biology teacher and environment enthusiast, recalls that she could hardly recognize
any birds, while she was studying post-graduation in zoology at the Government
Arts College, Coimbatore decades ago. The teacher, who exemplifies herself for
the theory that mere academic education cannot impart practical knowledge, often
takes her students out of their classrooms to provide a practical knowledge on
the issues of environment.
“As an M.Sc student
in zoology, when I took part in ‘Spot the Bird’ a competition held at Government Forest
College, I was ashamed that I could
hardly recognize any birds except sparrows and crows” says Selvi, who is now
working as a biology teacher at Kadri Mills Higher
Secondary School in Coimbatore.
But later, having
become a green enthusiast, Selvi has provided valuable guidance to her students
on various environmental issues and made them bag five state level awards and
one national level award in the competitions conducted by National Children’s
Science Congress. She made her students do projects on different titles like Flying
Patterns of Little cormorants, The Life cycle of Butterflies and Moths, The origin
of river Noyyal and the present status of its check dams, Treatment of Sewage
water by planting Kalvaazhai (canna
indica), Hazards of Using Plastic and Energy Uses in Agriculture.
Answering a question on how she could find time to train
her students to counter environment issues practically amidst teaching the
prescribed curriculum, Selvi says:
“I usually reach school by 45 minutes earlier in the
morning and discuss the current issues of environment pollution with a team of
students, who also love to debate the issues with me”
Selvi also frequently takes the students to the villages
around Coimbatore
and makes them explain to the residents on the dangers of using plastic and the
methods of protecting the environment from getting polluted.
When asked about the present trend of educational
institutions converting students into mere mark-scoring machines, providing
them little practical knowledge on history, environment and society, Selvi
says:
“In contrast to the belief of many, academic toppers with
little practical knowledge on social issues cannot excel even in tests like job
interviews and group discussions. Because, a mere reproduction of the
prescribed lessons in exams cannot make them wise enough to counter the challenges
in the society”
Answering a question on what made her take interest in
the mission of protecting the environment, Selvi discloses:
“When I saw for the first time water being sold in
plastic bottles at shops, I feared that soon oxygen too would come for sale. As
a school teacher, then I thought it should be my duty to create awareness in my
students on the crying need of protecting the environment”
B. Meenakshi Sundaram
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