Government schools across Gurugram are set to establish kitchen gardens to cultivate vegetables and fruits for mid-day meals, following directives from the education department, officials said. Schools with limited space have been encouraged to adopt rooftop gardening using pots and containers to ensure students receive nutritious, homegrown food, they added.
A mid-day meal at a school in Haryana. (HT Archive)
Currently, the district has 366 government schools, benefiting around 166,000 students under the mid-day meal scheme. Officials have mandated that schools adhere strictly to the prescribed menu, reducing reliance on outsourced vegetables. Non-compliance will result in departmental action against school heads and mid-day meal in-charges.
The initiative is designed to equip students, from class 1 to 8, with sustainable farming skills, fostering self-sufficiency and environmental responsibility, district education officials said, adding that the budget and other guidelines are currently being ironed out. Students will cultivate small plants such as herbs, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and strawberries in available spaces, including terraces, entrance areas, or along school walls, they added.
Encouraging sustainability
To address space constraints, the district education department has proposed “container gardening,” allowing urban schools to grow plants in repurposed containers, reducing the need for large open spaces. Muni Ram, district elementary education officer, said, “Students will learn that a large plot of land is not essential for growing vegetables and fruits. They can use discarded containers, turning organic waste like kitchen scraps into compost. Additionally, carefully selected plants can help cool the school environment, which is particularly beneficial in hotter regions.”
Dishyant Thakaran, headmaster of primary government school, Sushant Lok, said, “As of now, the food for our mid-day meal comes from the city’s ISKCON temple. However, with the new orders, we have started growing spinach and other leafy vegetables, which can be used for iron-rich meals and salads.”
According to officials, schools will also integrate this initiative into eco-club activities, encouraging students to identify locally suited plants and implement innovative irrigation techniques, such as drip irrigation. Experts, including local farmers, may be invited to guide students on sustainable gardening practices, they said, adding that the schools will have to manage additional staff or training of existing ones on their own.
Challenges in implementation
Despite widespread support, educators highlight practical challenges, including space constraints and the lack of dedicated staff for gardening. Suresh Malik, a teacher at Government Model Sanskriti School, Bajghera, welcomed the initiative but emphasised the need for proper planning. “This is a great initiative by the education department, as it will help students learn important skills and promote healthier meals. However, proper planning and resources are needed to make it successful,” he added.
Separately, Ashok Kumar, a teacher at Government Primary School, Mohammadpur, raised concerns about space limitations in urban schools. “Most government schools in urban areas have small premises with just 5-6 classrooms. Setting up a full-scale kitchen garden will be challenging as most government schools in the city don’t even have staff for planting, gardening, and cooking,” he added.