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Nadukuppam Environmental Education Centre |
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Nadukuppam High School is located 12 km inland from Marrakkanam in Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu. An Environment centre has been built on the school campus and has as its primary focus the conservation and restoration of the remaining forests and wetlands of the coastal belt and other natural assets from which the community has much to benefit socially as well as economically.In 2003 Pitchandikulam Bioresource Centre (PBRC) began working with the rural government high school at Nadukuppam to develop environmental awareness programs in conjunction with the existing curriculum.When PBRC first began working in the school the academic pass rate was just 10%. There were only six teachers and three classrooms for 520 students. No water facilities or toilets were available, and there were only two trees in the school compound. Since then, progress has been swift and exciting. With a 59% pass rate recorded in 2011 and numerous activities and projects developed and implemented through the site, NEEC has substantially impacted the opportunities and ideas the students develop during their eduction.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND SITE DEVELOPMENTWork at the NEEC site has established a variety of ecologically friend systems and infrastructure. An indigenous plant nursery has been created which includes 72 Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest species and is providing an outlet for indigenous crops, forest and medicinal plants species. An organic vegetable garden produces food for the midday school meals. Over 2000 indigenous trees have been planted within the school compound and a three acre ethnomedicinal forest has been established with detailed signage explaining the practical uses of the plants. Children's household organic vegetables gardens are exblished in five villages. All these programs are maintained by eco club students.To ensure a clean and constant water supply a bore well, water tanks, hand pumps and drinking water systems have been installed, and an integrated sanitation system designed and built. This system recycles and cleans water from the new bathrooms and toilets through the use of effective micro-organisms (EM), fountains, vortex, and a lagooning system. The recycled water is then used in the demonstration gardens and nursery. Solar photovoltaics are also in operation to pump water and supply electricity. Four new classrooms have been built to address the severe classroom shortage, and existing buildings have been improved through provision of benches and decorative murals. School buildings were painted and signboards erected displaying pictures of the indigenous flora and fauna. Encouraged by the many developments at Nadukuppam High School, the education department constructed two new school buildings and recently completed a new NABARD school building.EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM In addition to infrastructure improvements, an Environmental Education curriculum was developed to provide students with stimulating surrounds and learning facilities. The curriculum strategy is aimed at primary and middle level students and involves creating teaching materials related to our bioregion and providing a dynamic learning experience through hands-on activities, exposure trips, eco clubs, nature camps and workshops. Through links and collaboration with the education department and surrounding communities, the teachers are now implementing the Environmental Education Program in twenty schools within the kaluveli coastal bioregion, twelve in Villupuram and three in the Kanchipuram districts.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND EDUCATION
Nadukuppam Environment Education Centre is providing a point for community involvement in integrated rural planning and sustainable development. A new centre for the activities of the Women's Self Help Groups, especially for income generating programs has been completed. This provides a base for many of the outreach activities that we operate in nearby communities, encouraging environmentally friendly initiatives such as indigenous plant nursery development, organic agriculture and medicinal plant cultivation.
Thirty two acres adjacent to Nadukuppam High School has been developed under the Kaluveli Environment Education Trust. This area provides a demonstration site for the community and school in organic farming techniques, agro-forestry and alternative energy (solar and wind turbine). New crops, particularly medicinal plants, flowering plants and vegetables have been introduced to local farmers. Training for local farmers is being given in organic agriculture, system of rice intensification (SRI) and vegetables gardening using vermi-compost, effective micro-organisms (EM) and natural insect techniques.
NEEC now plays an integral role in the community and has become a research and teaching space to bring biodiversity back to the kaluveli bioregion. The continuing growth of the NEEC forest provides students with the opportunity to observe regeneration of a diverse and rich ecosystem. A spirulina production unit has been installed the community and schools, NEEC is focused on ensuring that the natural environment importance and benefits of conserving is understood and acted upon by those who rely on it most.
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