Kannur: P Dileep, a Botany teacher at Rajiv Gandhi Higher Secondary School Mokeri in Kannur district is pioneering a green revolution in classrooms. Along with his students, he redesigned a classroom filled with plants three years ago. The classroom now has over 100 plants. After learning about the green classroom, authorities of 11 schools have approached him to emulate the initiative.
Dileep has been contacted by many schools and colleges in nearby districts. He has already designed green classrooms for three schools in the Kannur and Kozhikode districts as well as three colleges.
In their first initiative, they used only waste products available in the school, such as school drama properties, broken bench legs, and jute, to develop the nature-friendly concept. No plastics were used in the classroom. Later, they added six more green classrooms and a library. The school is now planning to convert more classrooms into green classrooms.
"The natural ambience of the green classroom has greatly enhanced students' creativity. We decorate the classrooms with drawings and paintings created by the students. Even the exam invigilators who visit our school ask for a green classroom, as they found it to be more conducive for their work, especially during the hot summer days. More students from the school initiated maintaining the plants. We also have green leaders for each class to care for the plants. Daily care is needed for the plants, and teachers and students are very supportive," said Dileep.
P Dileep completed his research on Andropogonoid Grasses in the Southern Western Ghats of India. Now, he is working on saving pest-infected Eenthu trees ( Cycas circinalis), which are on the brink of extinction. He and his students covered 325 affected trees by burning and clearing the affected leaves.