Surat pedals green learning with ‘Cyclology’ in school curriculum

SURAT: Diamond City is creating a new benchmark in green learning with its innovative approach to promote cycling among young children. To pedal up its efforts, the civic body has designed a course ‘Cyclology’, which is being taught to students through elearning, to enlist young minds to clean environment concepts.
Already two schools have started teaching it as part of the pilot project, which the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) targets to replicate in all its municipal schools.
‘Cyclology’ is being taught in Class III and IV of RSM Experimental and CC Shah School at the initial phase. The course is designed by BYCS, an Amsterdam-based social enterprise that works to promote cycling, Sarvajanik Education Society (SES) and Nature Club Surat (NCS).
An initiative under SMC’s ‘Cycle4Change Challenge’, the subject will be a 10-hour course, books of which have been published in Gujarati, Hindi and English which will be distributed among students after schools reopen.
Eminent theatre personality and Padma Shree awardee, Yazdi Karanjia, who is known as an enthusiastic cyclist even at 83 years of age, launched the course.
‘Bicycle mayor’ of the city, Sunil Jain, told TOI, “The supplementary course will be taught to children from Class III to VIII. Various changes will be made to the course during the pilot projects. At present the course is introduced in two schools, which will be spread to all schools after it is finalized.”
Students will be taught history of bicycle, traffic rules along with environmental, health, social and financial benefits in the course.
“No other city across the country has ‘cycling’ as a subject in schools. We will explain the importance of cycling to children through poems, stories and practical lessons as part of environment learning. With improvements in the course, and support of the education department, we will introduce it to all schools,” said Kamlesh Yagnik, chairman of SES.
“Cycling as a subject in schools is one of the many concepts we are working. If we teach them early, kids will develop a habit for life,” said Rajesh Pandya, deputy municipal commissioner, SMC.