Ahmedabad’s water and energy conservation pledge will involve about 900,000 students across nearly 2,500 schools before the Diwali vacation, following directions issued by the city district education officer. Schools have been asked to explain the importance of saving electricity and water and obtain written commitments from students before the break.
The programme will cover schools in both the eastern and western parts of Ahmedabad. Students will be encouraged to conserve electricity and water themselves and ask their families to adopt similar practices during and after the vacation.
Ahmedabad city district education officer Rohit Chaudhary said the initiative was being planned in view of concerns over energy and water availability. He said electricity and water are essential to daily life and that students should be made aware of their responsibility towards conservation.
According to the directions, schools are expected to conduct the awareness programme before the Diwali holiday and have students make the pledge in written form. The stated aim is to combine festival celebrations with social responsibility rather than treat conservation only as an administrative message.
The education department’s instruction places schools in the role of civic-awareness institutions for a citywide utilities campaign. The available information does not specify a separate monitoring mechanism, a target for electricity or water savings, or how the written pledges will be assessed after the vacation.
The circular also addresses the academic burden placed on students during the holiday. Schools have been instructed not to assign excessive homework so that students can spend time with their families and enjoy the vacation. Chaudhary said homework during the break should be limited and designed in a way that allows students to use the holiday meaningfully.
Schools have additionally been asked to guide students about cybercrime and ways to avoid becoming victims of online offences. The instruction links the pre-vacation programme to three areas of student welfare: responsible celebration, conservation of essential resources and awareness of online risks.
The conservation pledge is scheduled to be administered before schools close for the Diwali vacation. The education department’s directions require participating schools to brief students and complete the written pledge activity during the pre-holiday programme.
