Amingaon, March 30: For successful implementation of the school nutrition gardens initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme in Kamrup district of the State adequate awareness among the masses and patronage not only from the government but also from the private sector is needed.

Sources at District Mission Coordinator-cum-District Elementary Education Office, Kamrup informed this correspondent that out of 2,068 schools in the district, 1,417 schools have nutrition gardens in their respective school campuses.

The PM POSHAN scheme, formerly known as the Midday Meal Scheme, promotes school nutrition gardens to provide fresh, locally sourced produce for midday meals, encouraging children's engagement with nature and promoting healthy eating habits.

Schools having this facility help earn grade which defines the category of the school when district information system for education is filled up. This culture helps children learn about farming and it may generate interest and good habit in them.

Gout Chandra Barman, cluster resource centre coordinator, Block Elementary Education Office, Rani, said kitchen garden concept merits promotion because besides getting nutritional requirement from fresh organic vegetables, students can understand the value of agriculture in their growing stage. Barman insisted on the need of adequate infrastructure such as fencing, open space and water supply facilities to make the initiative a success to the desired level.

Private companies can play vital role under their respective CSR initiatives for improvement of school nutrition gardens in the State. Presence of such gardens in schools is a great boon for the students given the health and other benefits and every institution should have it.

Talking to this correspondent, Barman said some schools are doing well with their nutrition gardens, providing nutrition to students, though some have failed to rise to the expectation level following the infrastructure bottleneck.

"Schools, which fail to deliver despite having all the facilities, should take the cue from other schools which have performed well in this regard," Barman said.

Referring to schools like Gorbhanga ME School, Nolgaon LP School and Bakarapara LP School, Barman said the school nutrition gardens of these schools should be a model for others.

While asked, Chijenjft Swargiary, headmaster of Bakarapara LP School, said the garden in his school serves a great deal to the students. "To make the school nutrition garden highly productive, members of school management committee and mothers group join hands and extend all types of help to us," Swargiary said.

Emphasizing the need for protective cover, Jayanta Bordall, headmaster, Nalgaon LP School, said, "Students from Gauhatl University and Cotton University visited our school and appreciated our nutrition garden."

"What matters the most is the construction of the school boundary wall to make the nutrition garden a huge success in our school," said Bimal Chandra Kalita, headmaster of 95 No Satpakhali LP School.

Pertinently, under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) initiative, private companies should also come forward to help the schools of the district in this regard, he added.

Meanwhile, official sources inform that a company of Tezpur in Kamrup district provided materials to fence the nutrition gardens of 15 schools in 2023.

When contacted, Sourav Thakuria, district programme manager, PM POSHAN, Kamrup, said, "Private companies can play vital role under their respective CSR initiatives for improvement of school nutrition gardens in the State. Presence of such gardens in schools is a great boon for the students, given the health and other benefits and every institution should have it."