On a tiny piece of land in a farmer’s field in a remote Karnataka village, school kids in uniform were seen harvesting paddy like a pro and piling them neatly. Suddenly, one might think of this as a case of child labor until you know what a wonderful act is taking place here. Around 30 students of a government school in Hulkatri village of Siddapura taluk, Uttara Kannada signed up for practical farming classes this year.
However, teaching farming isn’t a new thing for rural schools in India. Kids, especially from farming families would be quite well versed with the nuances already. But teaching this as a subject and with raw practical exposure is something that is very special and needs accolades as well. Farming is considered a kind of education that is necessary for everyone, after all, that’s how humans entered civilization. From learning how to grow crops to improvising skill sets to sustain family and community as a whole, this is a craft that is certainly introduced and known about in the school curriculum.
Darshan Harikantra, a teacher at the government higher primary school decided to take this thought rather seriously. Last year he presented an idea to the students about learning how to grow paddy from scratch. He even found a farmer who agreed to teach interested students how to grow paddy and also lend a piece of his land for this practical experiment. teacher Darshan Harikantra was delighted for sure. The number of students interested in this unique class had doubled in a year, last year it was just 13 students that took this up.
Nityananda Gowda, a farmer lent 4 guntas (4356 sq ft) to the school kids. A total of 30 students began work on this piece of land in August this year. Gowda, the farmer began guiding them from the basics – how to hold the sickle. Interestingly, only four out of the 30 students are from farming backgrounds. For the rest, this agriculture class was a maiden experience.
“They are very enthusiastic. They listen carefully to what I say and then jump into action. They have a hundred questions on everything which makes it all the more interesting for me. I look forward to spending this precious time with these children. Once they all grow up, I only hope they value agriculture as much since now they know the effort that goes behind growing each grain on our plate,” says Nityananda Gowda, the farmer. He owns 2 acres of land where he grows only paddy. If not working in his field, he works as a farm laborer in others’ fields.
“Last year, only class 7 students were involved in this project. This year we have merged classes 6 and 7. Kids have been enjoying the whole process. From tilling the land, sowing the seeds, arranging saplings, watering, using fertilizers, and pest control to now the final harvest they have been a part of all the steps of growing paddy. I am sure this part of their school life will be their most memorable one and humbles them a little more when they grow up. Anything that is learned in life is priceless, the same goes for this as well. The things that they learned with nature and being a part of this journey will help shape them into better humans, that is all I hope,” the teacher spearheading this special project said.
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