After multiple successful visits to schools with a variety of gardens, innovative ideas and best practices were presented. We are very thankful to those schools for sharing their knowledge, objectives and future goals for their school gardens. The SHANTU WASH team is currently starting with visits to schools without gardens (or schools with non-maintained gardens) that are willing to set up a school gardening program.
On October 13th the team visited Yong-Ping high school in New Taipei city. There have been some gardening activities at this school, but they have been discontinued for the most part due to budgeting issues. The principal shared the history of the garden and an enthusiastic teacher (Andrew Trinidad) showed the team around and shared his visions for the future of these gardens. He wants to build vertical hydroponic gardens and aquaponic gardens on the rooftop, together with his students, to share creative ideas for urban gardening and address future challenges such as climate change, population growth and urban density. The garden plots at the schoolground also have a high potential and can be used for various classes, but a plan still needs to be developed for this.
The school principal and teacher also shared their concerns for school gardens at a high school; it is very different from elementary schools, since students are more occupied by exams and homework, the garden activities or classes are not part of their curriculum or they are not interested in outdoor activities. To overcome these challenges and convince children of the benefits of school gardening and increase environmental education, the SHANTU team would like to collaborate with schools and share ideas and best practices for the future development of these gardens.
