Uttarkashi, In 2013 when Rajendrapal Singh Parmar took over as Principal of Government Inter College, Matli in Uttarkashi district, he was a man on a mission. A mission which won his school the coveted title of ‘Swachch Vidyalay’ in October 2018.
Situated eight kilometers from the District Headquarters in Uttarkashi. 286 students from class 6th to class 12th and twenty teaching staff along with eight official staff, this school has made raving headlines time and again. Recently, District Magistrate Dr. Ashish Chauhan visited the school and dedicated a smart-class to it as well.
For the past four year, the students and its teachers of this school have been spreading cleanliness awareness amongst one and all. Today their drive has moved beyond the school boundary. The message has made its way into the homes of the students who have in turn taught their family about the concept of segregated waste, a soak-pit for kitchen and bathroom water and use of toilets and dustbins.
The students of the Government Inter College, Matli have taken an oath to keep their environ clean not only in school but home and enroute as well. The litter free campus is swept twice daily, with dustbins dotting the field.
Talking with pride, Principal Rajendrapal Singh Parmar tells us, “the positive affects of the cleanliness drive is for all to see. Not only the students but their guardians ensure that the dirty water from their kitchen and bathrooms doesn’t flow openly onto the streets, but is collected in a soak-pit instead. It is a small step, but in the right direction.”
The walls of the school, talk volumes too. Recently, a group of students guided by their teacher got together and brought alive the walls with images of famous personalities and the message of ‘Swacch Bharat’ written large, leaving an impression on those who come visiting.
