Govt school tags its trees, saplings with QR codes

Mangaluru: In a unique initiative to blend technology with environmental awareness, the Vanasiri Eco Club of Govt High School, Badaga Yekkar, tagged newly planted saplings and trees on campus with QR codes that provide detailed information about each plant.
Headmistress Indira N Rao told TOI that the idea came from a directive by the education department encouraging schools to celebrate Earth Day meaningfully. "The department suggested using QR codes for saplings. Our mathematics teacher Ramya K developed the codes, with support from English teacher Anith Kumar," she said.
Each QR code provides information such as the plant's scientific name, uses, importance, region of growth, and common name. "We also taught the students how QR codes are created. This helps them understand the relevance and importance of the plants better," the headmistress said.
The school, which earlier lost its green cover to road widening, received 13 saplings donated by farmer and former teacher Ronald Fernandes. These were planted along the newly constructed compound wall, which was built with the support of Mulki-Moodbidri MLA Umanath Kotian. Class 10 students have now been given the responsibility of nurturing the saplings for a year.
The school, which had 132 students last academic year, has so far seen 32 new enrolments in Class 8. Headmistress Rao credited Anith Kumar for his role in the QR code project and other tech initiatives. Kumar also introduced a multilingual school news bulletin, presented by students in Kannada, English, Hindi, Beary, Konkani, and Tulu. Each month, the bulletin is recorded in one language. A studio setup is created, and the recording is done using a mobile phone, she said.
The school's students also recently participated in a national-level kho kho tournament in Chennai. PT teacher Vidyalatha leads the sports team, which is now practising for an upcoming match. She added that they have been participating actively and winning prizes in sports and cultural events.