Guwahati, Jan 03: Assam biodiversity NGO Aaranyak has initiated the “Prakriti Parichay” environmental education program for students at Help Aid Academy in Chandrapur, Guwahati. This was informed by the biodiversity NGO in a press statement issued by publicity secretary Bijay Sankar Bora. The program aims to instill environmental stewardship in students by fostering a sense of responsibility, sustainability, ecological awareness, and potential solutions through joyful learning.
The inaugural session of the program took place at Help Aid Academy, Chandrapur, with the participation of 42 students from Kurkuria village. The program included a fun-filled quiz to assess the cognitive abilities of the students based on their attention during presentations and discussions. This form of assessment encourages critical thinking and allows students to demonstrate their knowledge creatively.
Aaranyak’s environmental expert and educator, Tanvi Hussain, along with Wasima Begum, emphasized to the students the importance of safeguarding wild habitats and natural resources, paralleling the way we protect our homes. The students engaged in an ecological game called “Web of Life,” designed to help them understand the interconnection between different components of the environment and various organisms within the food web. The game also demonstrated the impact on ecological balance in the absence of a specific organism or species.
During the program, Anil Das, Aaranyak’s Coordinator in K9 Sniffer Dog Unit, highlighted the significance of different species in the ecosystem, using examples from the services provided by the K9 Squad in wildlife conservation and surveillance.
Aaranyak conducted the program in collaboration with Help Aid Academy, an evening school guiding marginalized students from tea garden communities in Kurkuria village. The academy, which has adopted the village, is implementing the Pandit Hemchandra Goswami Literacy Mission to achieve 100% literacy in Kurkuria. Additionally, the academy runs a community nursery program for capacity building, accepting plastic waste from students in exchange for evening classes.
As part of the program, the annual calendar of Aaranyak themed on Wetlands, designed by the Media Publication & Communication Division, was presented during the event at the Academy.
