CSE Green School Award for Punjab

               The Centre for Science & Environment (CSE), New Delhi initiated the practice of giving awards to best school eco-clubs in the country from the year 2006 under its Green Schools Programme. Under this programme schools across the country carry out a rigorous self audit on environmental practices within school premises following a set of guidelines outlined in Green Schools Manual prepared by the CSE. The aim of this programme is to help more and more schools practice and teach resource efficiency. Punjab State Council for Science & Technology had organized a two days training on Green Schools Programme for training 20 best eco-club in-charge Teachers in the state during July, 2007. Earlier the Council had also organized 2 trainings of Master Trainers at the state level and facilitated training of eco-club in-charge teachers at district level every year since 2001-02 for effective implementation of National Green Corps (NGC) Programme. Each of the 5000 schools in state covered under NGC programme have been provided necessary resource material for awareness of school children.

              The students from middle and senior levels rate their school and give marks on the basis of self audit of five environmental parameters pertaining to water, air, land, energy and waste. They prepare a report card of all the activities given in the Green Schools Manual and submit to CSE. CSE evaluate the report cards and undertake on-site assessment of school reports following a set Green Schools Ranking criteria to identify the top 20 schools in the country.

             Ms. Sunita Narayan, Director, CSE, took a meeting with representatives of state NGC Nodal Agencies in her office on 16.12.2007 wherein implementation of NGC programme was discussed in detail. Activities being taken up under this scheme, response of school eco-clubs, type and use of resource material, training needs, role of Regional Resource Agencies, auditing of resources (Air, water, land, energy and wastes) in schools involving students, etc. were discussed.

  For the year 2007, CSE declared the Green Schools Awards for 20 schools at all India level in a function organized at Delhi on 17.12.2007. Two schools among the list of 20 best Green Schools are from Punjab. Govt. Sr. Secondary School, Boormajra, Distt. Ropar has been given the Best Green School Award 2007 in the country. This school also got the best Green School Award during 2006. Govt. Saragarhi Sr. Secondary School, Amritsar got 8th position among 20 best schools. These schools have been implementing National Green Corps Programme activities with the assistance of PSCST. CSE has also declared Punjab as the Best State NGC in the country. The awards were given away by Prof. Krishna Kumar, Director, NCERT, Govt. of India in a function held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. This is a big achievement for the state of Punjab.