To Protect a Butterfly: Maheshtala Girl’s School
Maheshtala Girl’s School is located in the municipality of Maheshtala, West of Kolkata City. The school was established in 1948, just one year after Indian independence was declared. A Bengali-language government school of nearly 3,000 students ranging from nursery to class 12, most of the Students at MGS come from low-income families, who make less than ₹ 7,000 ($100) per month.
Student uniforms are almost always second-hand. The building is not particularly modern. There is no air conditioning. Lunch is provided to the students, cooked in a very plain-looking kitchen at the back of the school. There is a single basketball rim for recreation, attached to a pillar on the stage at the back of the courtyard. No backboard.
Still, Maheshtala Girls High School has seen its drop-out rate decline in recent years, and most of the students move on to college after graduation. A group of 50 students was chosen for the school’s Green Rhinos Program based on a leadership and nature awareness survey. They embraced their inspiring challenge with remarkable energy and creativity.
The student’s project originated from many of the girls noticing a scarcity of butterflies in and around the campus, when in previous years there had been a multitude flying around the courtyard.
The Green Rhinos Program staff met with the project team several times to check-in with the progress of their environmental project. They also connected the students with butterfly expert and researcher, Mr. Arjan Basu Roy from Nature Mates (naturemates.org).
While visiting the EcoPark in Kolkata, the Green Rhinos observed and learned about many different species of butterflies, in addition to the types of shrubs and plants necessary for their growth and survival.
Project Description
The girls set out with a plan. They would first study the life-cycle of butterflies to have a base understanding of the insect. Then using the information learned from Mr. Basu Roy, the Green Rhinos would strategically select and plant flowering bushes and shrubs to attract different species of butterflies.
The butterfly garden lines the perimeter of the school’s interior courtyard (pictured above). Faced with a ‘not-so-easy’ task, the students planted a beautiful garden and achieved their goal, with the combined effort of the 50 Green Rhinos.
Student Experience
Twelve of the original fifty Green Rhinos team members were given a survey about their experience with the Green Rhinos Program and their project. Based on the data collected from the survey, the students’ experience was incredibly positive. The Green Rhinos team spent an average of 3 hours per week on their project, over a period of about 8 months. And when asked to rate their experience with the Green Rhinos Program on a scale from 1–6, 7 of the students rated it a “6” and the remaining 5 girls rated the program a “5”.
The students of Maheshtala Girls School demonstrate the true potential of the Green Rhinos Program. Not only were they challenged to be leaders for nature, they chose an independent encounter with learning outside of their regular classroom studies. These young women are truly inspiring Forces for Nature.
Check out an interview on the ‘Media’ page featuring two of the team leaders from the Maheshtala Girls High School!
