The Church of South India (CSI) will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) in the U.K. for implementing a School Twinning Initiative (STI), envisaging a school-based mutually beneficial environmental education programme.
According to Mathew Koshy Punnackad, honorary director, CSI Synod Department of Ecological Concerns, nine lower primary schools attached to the CSI Green Schools programme and nine schools of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE) will participate in the two-year pilot programme.
Mutual learning
The STI promotes mutual learning and strengthens relationships and exchange of knowledge between students and teachers in both countries.
CMS Lower Primary School at Ennoormvayal, near Vechoochira, in Ranni, CMS LP School at Urakom in Ernakulam, and BEM School at Payyannur are the three schools from Kerala taking part in the proposed SIT.
Dr. Punnackadu said the STI would be launched in the first week of March. The MoU will provide information about the concept, objectives, expected outcomes, methodology, time frame, roles and responsibilities of each partner.
A teacher from each school will be appointed as STI coordinator at the respective institution. Initially, the coordinator, on behalf of the students at his school, will communicate with the students and teachers at the U.K. school. The students will introduce themselves, share their ideas on environment conservation, talk about the environment conservation initiatives at their schools, etc, through e-mails, as part of the programme.
Dr. Punnackadu said a training programme for the coordinators would be held at the CSI Centre in Chennai on February 24 and 25.
