SAHIWAL: Around 164,761 saplings have been planted under ‘Clean and Green’ campaign in more than 1,100 public sector schools of the area during the past four months.

The male and female students from class IV to 12 participated in the campaign in their schools under a leader called ‘environmental ambassador’. Tree planting drive ran in both spring and monsoon seasons simultaneously.

Sajjad Aslam, the chief executive officer District Education Authority (DEA), told Dawn that regular special nurseries were developed in public schools to keep trees planting flow and students and school management did not have to go outside schools for buying plants.

The CEO said in the rural schools wherever less space was available, the school managements had been directed to develop nursery at rooftops of the school buildings.

These nurseries are running under the leadership of environment ambassadors. Special plants have been dedicated to heroes and martyrs of Pakistan.

Explaining idea of environmental ambassadors, Yasin Khan Baloch, the principal Government Comprehensive High School, told Dawn each one of them was actually running a students club and they were doing three things regularly– increasing nursery capacity, educating schoolchildren about advantages of trees and caring the plants saplings during the last four month. He added the ambassadors were educating children classes on role of clean and neat environment and importance of trees.

Mr Baloch said he had dedicated one acre land from the school premises only for nursery.

Dawn learnt from sources the district education authority had also arranged a special training on SOPs of environmental ambassadors in different model schools.

Deputy Commissioner Zeeshan Javed, who is also director secondary education, participated in training sessions.

Abid Farid, a 9th class student and environmental ambassador, told Dawn his school nursery was having different kinds of plants, including Gul Har, tail palm, roses, bougainvillea, etc.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2019