An eco-friendly resort chain in Karnataka's Coorg is launching an environment-friendly all-expense paid pre-school for the children of plantation workers, tribal communities and the underprivileged in the Siddapura district. Called Morning Glory, it is the first-of-its-kind school for the underprivileged kids in the state. The project is managed by the Bangalore based educational foundation Building Blocks and it is being funded by the Orange County Resorts & Hotels Ltd (now also known as Evolve Back).
"Morning Glory is an initiative to create a clean, healthy and environment-friendly atmosphere for young underprivileged children to learn in. We want children to grow with an understanding of environmental sustainability and the need to preserve mother nature. This all-inclusive free school is our way of giving back to the community that has been a backbone to our growth and success," says Evolve Back Executive Director Jose Ramapuram.
This initiative’s intent is to give these young children access to an educational environment that helps them build towards a better future and gives them a fair chance to compete with the outside world. It is an English medium school where they will also provide book, bags and all other school requirements that will be made out of environment-friendly material. The students will be provided with two meals every day and special sessions will also be conducted for their parents to educate them on the importance of nutrition.
Children will also be trained in age-appropriate practices to learn the importance of caring for the environment and understand that each child can make a difference to help. For instance, some of the practices that will be taught include:
-Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3Rs): Awareness via stories, songs, visuals, arts and activities to reinforce learning and teach children ways to do their part to help
-Green Garden: Taking care of plants in the school (planting, watering, growing them), respecting plants and trees, and learning their significance to our world and lives
-Waste Segregation: practicing proper division of dry waste and compostable waste in the school environment
-Conservation of Natural Resources: Ways to save water and electricity with child relatable methods will be taught and exercised
-Naturally made educational aids: Natural resources (eg. Leaves, pebbles, rocks, sticks, sand, pressed flowers, bamboo, etc) are used in the classroom for multi-purpose activities
Morning Glory is a specially designed school, created with the desire to maintain and preserve the natural habitat of the surrounding. The interiors are made for students to express themselves openly and the unique layout is set with the thought of making them feel one with the outside world. The school’s structure is designed in a thought-provoking way which accommodates the vegetation and ground variations and uniquely drafts it into the school’s design. The walls are in-laid with blackboards across the school so that no child’s creativity is stifled and windows and doors are shaped uniquely to question standardised linear norms.
"The curriculum is an integrated model which supports an eclectic approach by teachers to ensure that children gain a well- rounded, holistic early childhood education. We believe that life skills, health and hygiene practices, character building and early leadership and entrepreneurship training are equally important for the children’s early learning as their academic goals in literacy and numeracy," adds the executive director.
