Marks for planting and caring for trees will be added for class six students, with 10 marks set aside. Teachers will award 75 per cent of these marks and parents 25 per cent. The education ministry has taken up the new project to give students hands-on learning from their books and knowledge of tree planting and environmental conservation in Mujib Year.

Education Minister Dipu Moni inaugurated the project at a virtual event organised by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) on Wednesday (1 September).

Under the project, students must record in a diary their collection of information, choice of site, choice of tree, preparing the hole for planting, collecting seed or seedlings, planting and aftercare. In science, 20 of the 100 marks will come from continuous assessment, and 10 marks will be for project-based learning on environmental conservation, of which teachers will assess 75 per cent and parents 25 per cent.

Through the project, class six students at secondary level will become skilled at planting and caring for trees. They will have the chance to develop a love of trees, build communication, think for themselves and put ideas into practice, identify and solve problems, and gain creative skills. The project will also play an important role in protecting the environment amid global warming.

Speaking as chief guest, the education minister said: "Work is under way to bring major change to our education system. The tree-planting programme has been taken up as part of the continuous assessment of science and agriculture education. Students are not just learning from books; they are getting the chance to apply it through work. Room is being created for their own creativity and thinking, and the skill to find solutions themselves is developing."

She said the programme would build students' interest in planting trees at home, in gardens, on rooftops, on balconies or above windows. They will learn which tree can be planted where, which fertiliser to give, and when and how to water. Their chances to communicate and share with teachers, parents and friends will grow. They will learn about the environment, its problems and how to tackle them, and put their book learning into practice through work.

Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, the special guest, said students' knowledge of information technology had grown during the coronavirus situation, and their studies were being continued through technology. Through the tree-planting programme they are learning life-oriented activities and building hands-on skills, as well as learning group work, leading a team and sharing tasks. He also said textbooks and classroom teaching alone are not enough.

The event, presided over by DSHE Director General Professor Syed Golam Faruk, was attended by Md Mahbub Hossain, secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division; Professor Shahedul Khabir, DSHE director (administration and college); and teachers and students.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.