At Thycaud Govt Model LP School, students grow vegetables for their midday meal

At a government primary school in Kerala’s capital, lessons in science, responsibility and teamwork are growing straight from the soil.

As part of the midday meal programme at Thycaud Government Model L.P. School in Thiruvananthapuram, students are growing organic vegetables on campus and eating meals made with their own harvest.

Each week, children take turns tending the kitchen garden — sowing seeds, preparing natural manure, watering the plants and harvesting the produce. The experience comes full circle when the vegetables they have grown are served on their plates, turning the noon meal into a lesson in self-reliance and dignity of labour.

Teachers say the initiative goes beyond nutrition. It is designed to introduce students to sustainable agriculture while nurturing patience, cooperation and a sense of ownership. According to the school, children have also been exposed to the complete cycle of paddy cultivation and other basic farming practices.

The project drew attention on Wednesday, the first day of the pre-summer harvest, when Kerala Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal visited the campus. Joining the students in the harvest, the minister praised their efforts and called for similar initiatives to be adopted across schools in the state.

School authorities say the goal is to ensure that at least one dish in the daily menu comes from the campus kitchen garden, sustained through collective effort from teachers, students and parents.

Parents have welcomed the programme, noting a visible change in their children — greater enthusiasm for learning, increased curiosity about food and farming, and stronger engagement with school life. Many parents also volunteer on holidays, helping maintain the garden and improve soil quality.

At Thycaud Government Model L.P. School, education is not confined to textbooks. It is rooted in the earth, harvested with care and shared at the lunch table — teaching children lessons that last far beyond the classroom.