Mangaluru: Students grow jasmine to pay honorary teachers


Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru 

Mangaluru, Jul 10: Retaining the government schools has been posing a big challenge now-a-days because of problems like lack of students and shortage of teachers. A number of rural schools have already faced closure. In some schools, honorary teachers are appointed, but paying them salaries is another challenge. To obviate these difficulties, a school in Dakshina Kannada district has drawn up a plan. 

The students of the government school at Kula have found a new plan to generate income to pay to the honorary teachers. They cultivate jasmine in the school compound for the survival of their school. Out of the income derived out of this cultivation, they have been meeting the honorariums of the honorary teachers. 

In most of the cases, teachers who get appointed or transferred to rural places go back to urban areas within a few years. This affects the future of the students of the school. This is one of the issues, which encourages parents to admit students into private schools. Students of Kula government school have succeeded in finding a solution to this issue. 

Dharmasthala Rural Development Project has been extending support for this activity. The school children look after the growth and maintenance of jasmine plants. Teachers and students arrive at the school early and undertake the work of watering the plants and picking jasmine flowers. The school staff members then neatly convert the jasmine flowers into garland type formations which are locally very popular. The flowers are then sent to Kabaka market. This cultivation brings income of around Rs 50,000 per month out of which honorarium is paid to the teachers. 

The teachers and students of this school have become a model for others to emulate as they uphold dignity of labour and love of education. Their endeavour has ensured that a school that was facing closure continues to function.

  

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Comment on this article

  • shwetha ganesh, bajpe

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Hats off to you dear students...great job.Keep it up

    DisAgree Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vincent Rodrigues, Katapadi/Bangaluru

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Good bold step by the students to meet the cost of running their school.

    DisAgree Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mangalurian, Mangaluru

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    I consider this child labour.

    The cause may be likeable, but the issue is still the same: child labour.

    DisAgree [12] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jennifer, Mangalore

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Quote
    They can work at any time of day and for any number of hours, according to federal family business child labor laws. ... Some state laws do not allow parents to make their 12 year olds work during certain hours when they are meant to be in school, as stipulated by school attendance laws.
    Unquote

    This is mentioned Family business Child Labour Law. What these children do, is outside their school hours.

    Don't we engage our children in pealing areca-nut, husking coconuts, collecting cashew-nuts, watering plants ? Washing their won clothes ? By doing this, children support in adding up to family's income - else a labour may be required to such work. If they just eat/spend their time for nothing, who will tolerate them ? Not even their own parents - law is secondary. Law is not earning food, the parents have to slog.

    And, if the parents don't teach them to do such little works, tomorrow their property will fall fallow - not even water to plants. Even washing their own plates may have to be done by servants. Of-course, all of this about us lower class people, not the likes of Ambanis who have servants to do everything.

    Child labour is when you send them to work for a salary.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mangalurian, Mangaluru

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Parents must engage their children in chores. I support that.

    But here we have the school management making the kids work (and the kids have to be early at school) - all to pay for some additional staff members.

    So essentially children are forced to work! Why should the kids work to pay for teachers' wages?

    Do the kids have a choice in the matter?

    DisAgree [1] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jennifer, Mangalore

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    'Do the kids have a choice in the matter?' - no, none at all.

    Because, if they don't cultivate the flowers, they may have to leave school and sit at home - the school closes down like all other schools did. Their parents may not be having capacity to send them to any expensive or distant school. What should we feel ? Proud, or pity them ?

    The Government is responsible for this ? How exactly ? How many of us have gone to government schools despite their existence near our houses ? We are hypocrites - want the best to ourselves but when others manage with whatever they have, we criticize the system.

    DisAgree Agree Report Abuse

  • Roadhog, Mangalore

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Jennifer, then why is the government collecting education cess on taxes?
    If you can't provide infrastructure, don't collect cess for it.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rita, Germany

    Fri, Jul 12 2019

    Mangalorean ,Mangalore,just for your info.this is not called child labour.Children are only watering the plants child labour is when child works most of the time for money and support home without going to school..Here children are doing it to finance their studies.As I was in high school each group had one plant ,to water .That made our school atmoshere nice and beutiful.we used to plant some vegetable and water which was sold or bought from who wanted .This money was used to buy some things for students for the beneficiery of school or school drama or so.This makes students to finance their own school needs without making their parents burden.it is not a big deal of some hours but half an hour.students who doesnt want can step out and go to other school.no one is binding them.Does some students work during the day and go to school at nightaß we complain to many things.It is not a hard work to water.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Kateel pai, Vitla

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Kudos. These are real students who yearn to do well and become good citizens.

    DisAgree Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roadhog, Mangalore

    Wed, Jul 10 2019

    This is so morally wrong. Making students work for paying teachers. I appreciate the hardwork.
    But the grim reality here is that the central government has miserably failed to provide basic infrastructure and yet they are collecting taxes and have increased taxes.
    What the F are they doing with the Education surcharge that they collect on taxes?
    This is not something to be proud of. It's a badge of shame on the government.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jennifer, Mangalore

    Wed, Jul 10 2019

    If students and school staff can achieve this, why can't our farmers ? Why can't the lower strata people come above the poverty line ? 50,000/- a month just from jasmine is not a joke.

    If a family manages even 10% of it as an additional income, I'm sure 60K per year is not a small amount.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Santan Mascarenhas, Kinnigoli/Mumbai

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Jennifer
    I heard, one woman, near Shirva is growing jasmine and with her income, she takes care of everything including children's education. Her husband is in Gulf, whose entire tax free salary is directly going to NRE account. I heard, there are some procedures and methods to do jsamine growing. If some trained volunteers go and explain to our farmers, they can make extra income not only 60,000 but even 120,000 per annum.

    DisAgree Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jennifer, Mangalore

    Thu, Jul 11 2019

    Training and saplings are given to farmers by Agriculture Dept. Even medicines/nutrients if they take a branch of sick/unproductive plant is taken there for visual inspection about what is wrong with the plant. All for free !

    Yet, our people want to remain poor. While we the salaried people race, race, race to reach and return from our work, for a salary that we will get end of the month, readily tax-slashed. Where do our taxes go ? To these very people who spend their savings for alcohol !

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Honnappa, Byadagi

    Wed, Jul 10 2019

    Appreciate the gesture of students of this school.

    DisAgree Agree [21] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Wed, Jul 10 2019

    Mera Karnataka Badal Raha Hai ...

    DisAgree [2] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • Praveen, Surathkall

    Wed, Jul 10 2019

    Look at the difference in approach!

    In one side, a headmaster misusing the Midday Meal food stuffs and in another side, students do a " little " contribution! Whoever initiated this marvelous idea in this Govt. School has to be awarded for not just for paying to honorary teachers but also implementing the Green culture.

    DisAgree Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse


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