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Vadodara: The morning bell rings and all 45 students of the primary school at Wayadpura village of Dabhoi taluka troop in eagerly. The school had remained shut for more than a year following the Covid-induced lockdown, but not a single student had dropped out.
Coronavirus had taken the wind out of the sails of the mid-day meal scheme offered in government schools to tackle malnutrition but not a single student went hungry either. And, this was possible due to principal Narendra Chauhan, who ensured that the kids got nutritious food, by giving them vegetables he grew on the school premises.
“Parents of our students hardly had any income due to the lockdown. However, none of them went hungry as my wife and I regularly sent the vegetables we grew on the school premises to them,” Chauhan told TOI.
“I delivered vegetables for free. This not only ensured nourishment for children but also ensured that the students, for whom the meals are a big incentive for coming to school, did not drop out. Our classrooms are full again,” he said.
He started the novel kitchen garden project in 2001. Today, he grows fenugreek, spinach, carrot, brinjal, tomato, chilli, cauliflower, bottle gourd, pigeon peas and a variety of other vegetables in around 1 bigha land around the school. The students too are trained to help with plantation and upkeep of the garden.
“When the lockdown was announced, my parents were worried about managing our daily meals. But due to the kitchen garden at our school, we kept getting nutritious food every day and my parents continued sending me to school,” said Krishna Rabari, who studies in Class 4.
Over the past 20 years, along with education, over 1,000 students have enjoyed nutritious meals at this school. Apart from organizing occasional feasts in the village, Chauhan also ensures that the children get medical kits and proper clothes from the money he gets through a few generous donors every year.
Coronavirus had taken the wind out of the sails of the mid-day meal scheme offered in government schools to tackle malnutrition but not a single student went hungry either. And, this was possible due to principal Narendra Chauhan, who ensured that the kids got nutritious food, by giving them vegetables he grew on the school premises.
“Parents of our students hardly had any income due to the lockdown. However, none of them went hungry as my wife and I regularly sent the vegetables we grew on the school premises to them,” Chauhan told TOI.
“I delivered vegetables for free. This not only ensured nourishment for children but also ensured that the students, for whom the meals are a big incentive for coming to school, did not drop out. Our classrooms are full again,” he said.
He started the novel kitchen garden project in 2001. Today, he grows fenugreek, spinach, carrot, brinjal, tomato, chilli, cauliflower, bottle gourd, pigeon peas and a variety of other vegetables in around 1 bigha land around the school. The students too are trained to help with plantation and upkeep of the garden.
“When the lockdown was announced, my parents were worried about managing our daily meals. But due to the kitchen garden at our school, we kept getting nutritious food every day and my parents continued sending me to school,” said Krishna Rabari, who studies in Class 4.
Over the past 20 years, along with education, over 1,000 students have enjoyed nutritious meals at this school. Apart from organizing occasional feasts in the village, Chauhan also ensures that the children get medical kits and proper clothes from the money he gets through a few generous donors every year.
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