Education on Sustainability Takes Root in Balasore with the Launch of the Green School Programme

Baliapal: Tata Steel Foundation in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), launched the Green School Programme at Baliapal, in Balasore district. It is to focus on enabling environmental education for children and educators from the schools located around the proposed Subarnarekha Port Private Limited (SPPL) project in Baliapal.

The event was graced by Sudhansu Sekhar Jena, Block Education Officer, Baliapal; Binod Chandra Panda, Block Development Officer, Baliapal, Prativa Majari Das, District Education Officer; Balasore,  Biraja Sankar Das from SPPL; and a team from TERI.

Expressing his happiness on the launch of the programme, Sushant Kumar Mishra, Executive Director, SPPL, said, “Understanding the changing world and climate is essential today. Instilling environmental education through the Green School Programme in our rural schools in Baliapal will not only open doors to awareness and education but also cultivate environmental champions for tomorrow.”

In the first phase of the programme, three schools will be involved: Baliapal Girls High School and Sambhunath Bidya Pitha of Nabara Basta Block, along with Nishamani Government Girls High School of Pratapur, Baliapal. These schools are proposed to function as model institutions where children can learn and engage with modules and green practices aimed at conservation and sustainability, setting a benchmark for other educational institutions to follow.

The success of the programme in these schools is anticipated to set the stage for a wider rollout of the Green School Programme across the district. This programme is not just an educational initiative; it is a movement towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

The Green School Programme, initiated in April 2017 by Tata Steel Foundation in collaboration with TERI, focuses on fostering behavioral change towards conservation and resilience-building among vulnerable communities. It aims to create advanced capacities among students and teachers through the exploration of curriculum linkages, the operationalization of action projects, and capacity-building activities that enhance their knowledge and promote pro-environment behaviour.