50% of Kerala schools garbage-free: V Sivankutty

NEW DELHI: 50% of schools in Kerala have achieved the status of garbage-free campuses, announced state’s general education minister V Sivankutty, setting an example for school education across the country. The minister was speaking at a programme at Pattam Government Girls Higher Secondary School. The education minister has also set a target for all schools in the state to implement practices to become waste-free and environmentally-friendly by December 31, 2024.

The initiative, led by the Sanitation Mission in partnership with the Department of Public Education, involved an extensive study of waste management facilities in schools across the state. Data was collected from 10,707 schools using Google Sheets, covering 82 different parameters.

The comprehensive data obtained from the schools shed light on the status of various aspects of waste management, including organic and inorganic waste, sanitary waste, food waste, construction and demolition waste, latrine waste, gray water management, and activities related to environmental and eco-clubs. The study included schools of all types including lower primary, upper primary, high school, higher secondary, as well as government, aided, and unaided institutions.

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To further enhance waste management efforts, schools are encouraged to collaborate with the Sanitation Mission and local self-government departments to develop comprehensive waste management plans.

Known for its innovative initiatives, the Kerala government recently released a set of books for parents of school students, aimed at empowering the guardians to support their children's education-related requirements from pre-primary to higher secondary levels. V Sivankutty released the set of four books, titled 'Parents with the Growing Child'.