India

This School Goes Green & Money Is Plastic

By
OB Bureau

Akshar Forum in Pamohi village of Guwahati in Assam is a school for underprivileged students where money is plastic here. No, students do not pay with a debit or credit card. They pay fees in the form of plastic waste!

So, don’t be surprised if you find a line of students waiting outside the school, bags full of plastic in hand. Or if you walk into classrooms full of students of all ages being taught by another student. That’s Akshar Forum.

According to a report in www.homegrown.co,in, the school was co-founded by Parmita Sharma and Mazin Mukhtar in 2016 with the objective of training students to “earn a livelihood by being responsible to the government”. Education is far from conventional here – Akshar helps students explore their own creativity and set their own limits.

According to Akshar’s vice-president, Priyongsu Borthakur, the idea to accept payment in plastic waste was born out of Akshar Forum’s recycling programme.

Six months ago, the school started collecting dry plastic waste from households in the vicinity, setting the students up to the task of collection and segregation of the waste. “The idea is to train students to recognise how to live an eco-friendly life”, says Borthakur.

Parmita remembers how their classrooms would earlier be filled with toxic fumes every time someone burnt plastics nearby.

Many households in Pamohi prefer to send their children to stone quarries instead of schools so that they can earn some money. Akshar Forum aspires to change this.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Odisha CM Directs To Supply 3 Months’ PDS Rice To Beneficiaries In Advance

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister on Tuesday issued direction to provide rice of three months' quota…

November 5, 2024

[Watch] Salman Khan Shoots For ‘Sikander’ In Falaknuma Palace Amid Tight Security

Mumbai: In the wake of a fresh death threat by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, actor…

November 5, 2024

Bachchan Family Upset With Nimrat Kaur, To Take Action Against Source Of Rumour

Mumbai: Rumours about Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s divorce have been doing the rounds for…

November 5, 2024

Surge In Patients With Respiratory Issues In Delhi Hospitals

New Delhi: Hospitals across Delhi are witnessing a spike in the number of patients with…

November 5, 2024

ISKCON Cancels ‘Untimely’ Rath Yatra In Houston

Bhubaneswar: Facing a strong opposition from the devotees of Lord Jagannath and Puri Gajapati Maharaja…

November 5, 2024

[Watch] Is Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘I Want To Talk’ Similar To Dad Amitabh’s ‘Piku’?

Mumbai: The trailer of the highly-anticipated Abhishek Bachchan starrer ‘I Want to Talk’ was unveiled…

November 5, 2024

One Killed, Two Injured In Mukhyamantri Bus-Bike Collision In Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: One person was killed and two others were injured in a collision between a…

November 5, 2024

Raveena Tandon’s Daughter To Debut With Ajay Devgn’s Nephew

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon’s beautiful daughter Rasha Thadani is all set to make her…

November 5, 2024