Kendriya Vidyalaya students undergo training, become junior forest rangers

COIMBATORE: Twenty students of city-based Kendriya Vidyalaya attended a two-day programme organised by the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) to become junior rangers. They are expected to create awareness about nature and become ambassadors of change.
The initiative was part of the student-scientist connect programme called ‘Prakriti’ of the Indian Council of Forestry Education and Research, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. “The programme, which was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, included visits to the Gass Forest Mmuseum in IFGTB, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s insect museum and a 1.2km walk along Singanallur lake to learn about its biodiversity. IFGTB is developing a herbarium near the lake,” IFGTB extension officer Rajesh said.

The students also interacted with IFGTB scientist B Nagarajan on butterflies and learned about their role as pollinators.

IFGTB director Mohit Gera told students how Smokey Bear became the national symbol for the prevention of wildfires in the US. “There is a need to adapt creative pedagogy and teaching methodologies for the students to make nature education more attractive,” he said.