Army Public School, Umroi Military Station hasbecome the first school in the State to set up a Hydroponic Lab in its bid to enhance life-skills among students, keeping in view the technological advancement taking place in all areas, including agriculture.
Hydroponics is the science of cultivating plants in a nutrient-rich solution instead of soil. Most hydroponic systems are kept indoors, which allows students to improve plant production by controlling the temperature and lighting schedules.
The idea of introducing Hydroponic farming was adopted by the school last year, when the world was undergoing through challenging times due to Covid-19 induced lockdown and the desire to see their students trained in basic life skills.
Army Public School principal, Shipra Basu recalled how people were restricted to move out of their houses and even for basic needs during the lockdown. “It made us think that if the next generation is trained in basic survival strategies, it won’t be so difficult for them to manage critical situations like this.
Hydroponics is just one step towards these life skills,” she told Highland Post.
She said the purpose of education is not only to create geniuses who excel in studies by scoring 95 per cent and above but also to teach the next generation about life skills and healthy ways of living.
Informing that students in Army Public Schools move across the country from hill stations to deserts, from rural to urban places, from acres of open ground to a small flat built on high rise buildings, she added, “After successful completion of their studies they opt for various career options and most of them shift to big cities in search of good jobs where open space and organic greens are hard to be found. Therefore we thought of training all our students in basic life skills and provide them an exposure to next generation agricultural technologies where they can be taught to survive and grow their own greens even in a small space and worst weather conditions.”
Basu informed that the school made a minimum investment on setting up the lab after days of research and survey with the assistance of Hydroponic expert, Rudy K Kharmawphlang, founder of Saw Aiom Fesh, Meghalaya’s first Aqua & Hydroponics.
The lab was inaugurated yesterday by Chairman of Army Public School, Umroi Military Station, Brig T S Hothi, Commander, 24 Mtn Bde and Geena Hothi, Chairperson, FWO, 24 Mtn Bde.
However, the first step towards introducing life-skills to students in the school began through mushroom cultivation. “There are many life skills that are being practised in the school apart from regular studies, like staying healthy by adopting exercise , yoga and healthy way of eating , learning cooking without fire, cleaning their own space and taking care of their own belongings, helping people in need and others,” Basu said.
