Mission Prakriti: WWF-India rewards five best-performing schools

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: WWF-India, in collaboration with Samagra Shiksha, Assam, rewarded the five best-performing schools under ‘Mission Prakriti’ at the State Mission Office of Samagra Shiksha, Assam, in the presence of Education Advisor Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta, Mission Director Dr. Om Prakash, Executive Director Sanjoy Dutta, Prof. Ranjit Choudhury, chairperson of the WWF-India Assam Advisory Board, and others on Friday.

Mission Prakriti is a student-led movement to create green schools, build students’ knowledge about the environment, connect them with nature, and inculcate the values and skills needed to make their schools and communities greener. The five themes of Mission Prakriti are biodiversity, water, waste, food, and energy. The programme underscored the significance of Mission Prakriti and WWF initiatives in empowering future generations to protect our planet. At the national level, Mission Prakriti is implemented in three locations: as Mission Eyerkai in Tamil Nadu since June 2022, as Mission Khoryug in Ladakh since May 2023, and as Mission Prakriti in Assam since August 2023. Over 10,000 schools and 50,000 student leaders have been actively participating in Mission Prakriti, contributing to the greenery of their respective schools.

Mission Prakriti is implemented in 3219 ICT schools across all 33 districts of Assam, out of which 768 schools completed all steps and submitted reports of their story of change for Mission Prakriti, Assam. Based on scientific rubric evaluation criteria and the videos submitted, the five best schools, each with five Green Cabinet students, one coordinating teacher, and one best district, were selected. Dibrugarh Governmaent Girls’ HS and MP School, Joktali Higher Secondary School, Sivasagar, Nutan Kanchanpur ME School, Cachar, Dandua MV School, Morigaon, and Dawson HS & MP School, Nagaon, were selected as the five Best Mission Prakriti Schools for 2023–24. Dibrugarh stood out as the best district, showcasing exceptional commitment to the programme’s goals, with the maximum percentage of schools completing the Mission Prakriti movement. Winning school principals, coordinating teachers, and top 10 district nodal officers received trophies, citations, prizes, and WWF mementos from the chief guest, Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta. Prof. Mahanta praised the school teachers and students and the initiative of WWF-India for its impactful contribution. He stressed the need for conservation efforts to protect the water reservoirs, which serve as habitats for migratory birds, as the award day falls on World Wetland Day. Dr. Om Prakash, Mission Director, SSA, stressed creating more awareness about climate change and global warming. Sr. Advisor WWF-India and Ex. PCCF (Wildlife) M. C. Malakar encouraged the participating schools to carry their green sustainable way forward for a better tomorrow.

Prof. Ranjit Choudhury, in his closing remarks, appreciated the collective efforts and achievements of all participants in making the Mission Prakriti Assam programme a success.

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