Students harvest honey at this pvt school

Mangaluru: A private school in Dharmasthala hands over a bottle of honey harvested by its students, whenever a resource person or a guest visits the institution.
With the aim that the school should not lay emphasis in just textbook learning, but should teach life lessons, apiculture was introduced in Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara English Medium School.The school that experimented with agriculture three years ago, had just two boxes. Today they have seven boxes on campus. This year, they harvested 70kg of honey. It is bottled and labeled ‘Sharing is Caring’.
“The initiative started in 2020, and bee farming is growing today on a massive scale, with the help of students. There is a lot to learn from bees for the students, and the lifestyle of the bees has helped students learn beyond classroom lessons for students. Some of them include: how bees wake up early every morning, and are busy with their work; how they work unitedly; how they help for the survival of the environment and so on,” said Parimala MV, head of the institution.
She said that about 60 to 70 students from grades six to nine are involved in bee cultivation at the school. When it was started in the academic year 2020-21, the school harvested about 15kg of honey. About 40kg of honey was collected in 2021-22, and it increased to 70kg in 2022-23. Babu, a parent of one of the students, is cooperating in this work.
Aladangadi horticulture department is providing the necessary supplementary equipment for this.
However, it wasn’t a sweet start for the school, as there was fear among students of being stung by bees. Parimala shared that they were afraid to stand next to the boxes that are around the school playground, but once they become aware of them, the students themselves started cooperating in harvesting honey. Students are also aware of what to do for a bee sting; which is the queen honey bee; how to transfer it from box to box, and other works related to apiculture.
Some of the students who have already passed out of the school, have started beekeeping on their own. Parimala added that two dozen alumni are involved in bee cultivation, by keeping boxes in their homes as well.
However, the school does not sell the honey that is harvested. “It is the custom of the school to give some to the students to taste every time they collect honey. The rest is bottled and given as a memento to the guests who come to the school. A special programme of the school, Tudita House, a place for the differently abled, where students visit as part of learning, are given honey as a gift, along with funds. “This activity is not only bringing the students closer to the actual environment, but also helping them to live with the environment,” Parimala said.