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Project team of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Chiechama.[/caption]
Kohima, July 12 (EMN): District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Chiechama, won the ‘All India competition on innovative practices and experiments in education for schools and teacher education institutions’ for its project titled, ‘The school organic garden project.’
DIET Chiechama was earlier shortlisted as one of the 10 finalists from across the country for the competition. It is also the first time such an award has been won by the State team.The 10 shortlisted institutions later gave presentations at the national seminar held at CIET, NCERT, New Delhi, on June 27. Athe Agnes Krocha, lecturer of DIET Chiechama and Project Coordinator, made presentation on behalf of the Nagaland team. The project headed by Kerüüpfeü Rüpreo, Principal of DIET as Team leader, Athe Agnes Krocha, lecturer as project coordinator, and lecturers Mhaphruovinuo and Leelama Nyusou as team members, was awarded in the category of ‘Teacher education institutions at elementary levels.’
‘The school organic garden project’ is an innovation for hands-on approach to learning. With the inspiration drawn from the traditional home gardens of Nagaland, the project emphasises that school organic garden can be an experiential learning tool that teachers can use and adopt to support academic achievement, social and behavioural development, and environmental awareness and appreciation. It also implied that it can further be set up in a variety of ways- in used containers outside the classroom or in a plot of land in the school.
It may be mentioned here that the aims and objectives of the project are to create awareness of organic gardening practices in the community and provide a model of a ‘school organic garden’ for the community; to enable student trainees to enjoy gardening in a safe and sustainable way using organic methods and improve agricultural literacy; to improve the school environment and enable student trainees to have respect for and develop interest in their school/ institute environment; to ensure environmental care by reuse of materials in the garden; to facilitate social and personal development by enhancing communication skills, work, life and entrepreneurial skills, attitudes of cooperation, responsibility, self-esteem and self-confidence in the student trainees.
It is also aimed at supporting academic achievement of students by providing teachers with a resource for outdoor learning in a relaxed way enabling real life applications of math, science, social studies, language and reinforcement of ideas and concepts in the different subjects taught; and to educate students to make life-long healthy food choices.
