Planting herbal plants in schools

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake highlighted the importance of school children being engaged in cultivating herbal plants in school compounds.

Minister Dissanayake is of the view that the majority of schools, specially rural sectors have adequate land areas to cultivate herbal plants.According to education authorities, school children even in urban areas cultivate varieties of herbal plants. The minister said during his school days, herbal plant cultivation in schools was done because they had to do ‘Agriculture’ as a subject.

Accordingly, in the past children were engaged not only in herbal plant cultivation, but also grew many other agricultural products. They were even able to sell their products in their respective areas and earn an income. The income was utilised to purchase goods including sports equipment for the school. A report from a school at Attanagalla in the Nittambuwa area mentions that parents of children too help students to cultivate herbal plants in school gardens and the leaves of many herbal plants are used to make herbal drinks for the consumption of children in the same school.

The minister welcomed the decision taken by Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane a few years ago, to popularise fresh herbal drinks among school children as herbal drinks are 100 percent nutritious for children. Minister Dissanayake said although land areas are not sufficient in popular schools in Colombo such as Royal, Ananda, Visakha and many other schools, children from these schools are showing a keen interest in the cultivation of herbal plants as well as vegetables and fruits in the available space in their school gardens.