Shading Mother Earth Movement

Matr Chhaov Abhiyan (shading mother earth movement) becomes part of national school curriculum

BHOPAL: An environmental initiative taken by the Vishwa Kalyan Ashram, the Shading the Mother Earth Movement,(Matr Chaav Abiyan, MCA)) is all set to become part of the National Education Curriculum of India .
In a communiqué received from the Education department of the Human Resource Development under the Government of India said that the ministry finds it fit to be included into the National Education Curriculum.
The Church had launched the movement in 50 Catholic schools in Madhya Pradesh state on July 29, last year in a bid to contain the menace of global warming creating green cover and protecting the environment. Fr. Anand Muttungal , the director of MCA, said, “we had written to all members of President of India, Prime Minister, Ministers of Union Government, Parliament, chief ministers of all states and heads of many organizations in the country to request the HRD to include this concept in the national educational curriculum.”

Under the project, students from grades five to nine will each plant only one sapling and care for them over three years. Each student who is successful in nurturing the saplings will gain additional credits in the final practical examination on environment study. Nonetheless, it is a voluntary one. It is just like any science project.

Federal Ministry of Human Resources Development’s (HRD) has given its green signal to accommodate the initiative as part of the school education in the country and has forwarded the project to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for including it in the school education.

The role of NCERT is mainly to advise and assist the government of India in formulating and implementing policies and programmes in the field of education, particularly school education. The ministry in its official communication recently issued to the secretary NCERT has instructed it to “include tree plantation as part of curriculum in school as project under environmental studies”. “This is a great honour and matter of achievement for the Church in the country” says Father Anand Muttungal who is the brain behind the green movement. “After launching it in our schools, I thought, I should approach the government to adopt this project for the all the students as environmental protection is a must”, explained an elated priest who is also the spokes person of Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh.
“I personally feel it is our moral and constitutional responsibility to leave a worthy environment for our future generation to live in, as our ancestors have done, and this needs protection of environment”, he insists.
Nurturing the habit of protecting the environment in the minds of school children at the early formation stage, he told the ucanews.com today is a worthy investment. “Therefore, I approached the Federal HRD ministry dealing with education in the country to adopt this project”, he added.
Now it is a challenge to the Church to come out with such socially focused programmes to address major issues plaguing the society to reaffirm its commitment to social upliftment and welfare, he concludes.

News By - Fr. Anand Muttungal