Jayasree Higher Secondary School at Kalluvayal near Pulpally in the district has set a model for the State in environmental conservation by setting up its own plant nursery to distribute seedlings of various species of plants including fruit plants to the public.
The innovative project was launched by NSS volunteers and members of the social forestry club of the school in association with the Social Forestry department under the School Nursery Yojana scheme of the Central government. Apart from the NSS unit and the social forestry club, nearly 600 students of Standard VI to Plus Two are also involved in the project. They have raised various species of plants including mango, jackfruit, guava, avocado, orange, custard apple, and pomegranate in around 5,000 bags.
The nursery was set up in the first week of June. The students brought seeds from their homes. “We are planning to plant seedlings along the 26-km stretch of the Sulthan Bathery-Pulpally State highway that passes through the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, by the end of August,” NSS coordinator Sithara Joseph said.
“The plants will be conserved by us with the support of nearly 450 students including NSS volunteers and members of social forestry clubs at nearby institutions such as Jayasree Arts and Science College and P.K. Raghavan Memorial College of Teacher Education, Ms. Joseph said.
The remaining seedlings would be distributed among students and the public, Ms. Joseph, who is also the history teacher at the school, added. “We have been engaged in environmental conservation activities for the past 25 years since the inauguration by environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna and his wife Vimala Bahuguna in 2002 by planting a mango sapling,” K.R. Jayaraj, principal of the school, told The Hindu.
The nursery was set up at a cost of ₹1 lakh that included an assistance of ₹65,000 from the Forest department. The school bagged several meritorious awards such as the Vanamitra Puraskar of the Forest department, Sugatha Kumari Award, and an award instituted by Pulpally grama panchayat for environmental activities.
