Govt schools asked to grow veggies in kitchen gardens

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 12

An advisory issued by the Mid Day Meal Society to have kitchen gardens at government schools across the state has evoked mixed reaction from teachers.

The motive behind the move is to make children understand the importance of growing vegetables. The programme has been made optional as of now due to space constraints in many schools. Arbinder Kaur, Principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Ram Gate, said, “I have not received any such order. I feel it will not be viable. There has to be a lot of space and separate grants for it.”

However, many feel that it is a good move as it inculcates values among students. “It might give students a perspective on nature and make them responsible to environment. The vegetables they grow will be used to cook their own food. Moreover, there is a lot of space in schools which can be utilised for a garden,” said Kashmir Singh, a teacher at government school in border area.

Deputy DEO Rekha Mahajhan said, “It is a good step. There are some schools, which have already started it. Fresh vegetables can be nutritional to kids too. There are alternatives for city schools with less space to grow them.”