Students inaugurate a pen mission at Meppayur school

Kozhikode: Setting a model for the student community, the schools in Vadakara educational district are going ‘Back to Ink Pen’ (Mashippenayilekk Madanguka) to reduce the use of plastic pens and thus limit environmental pollution.

Wayanad district civil supplies officer V.K. Ahammed, who has not used a ballpoint pen in his entire life, will inaugurate the project at the Government Higher Secondary School, Meppayur, Thursday.

“When we cleaned the campus of National Higher Secondary School, Vattoli, recently, we got 65 kg of plastic pens. The life of a plastic pen is less than a week, and people lost the habit of changing the refills when the ink is dried up. They just throw it and pick another pen. These days, the pens are as cheap as '2 or '5. In a school with a student strength of 1,000, per week, a minimum of 2,000 plastic pens are collected,” says Vadakara DEO Suresh Kumar E.K.

The project aims at developing a habit of using ink pen among the children. But students have complained of low-quality paper, and when they use ink pens, the ink spreads quickly.

“This is an issue to be tackled. There are other methods of using hard paper instead of plastic, which is eco-friendly and less expensive. But nobody want to promote them,” he said.

Special kids and their pens

They are special kids and trained to produce simple products. There are some 120 of them who are undergoing treatment for different disabilities, including speech and hearing,   at the ‘Caring for Children with Challenges’ under the Koyilandy Pain and Palliative Care Society.  The teachers  train them to make  paper pens and ornaments and  sell them outside as part of rehabilitation.  

The parents and teachers support them in making the products. They collect them in their schools for visitors and ask them to take a pen as a token of love. They have not put a price tag on the paper pens. It is up to the visitor to give them whatever money they like.  

“We train them to make paper pens.  Their mothers, who accompany them to the classes, also have joined them. They have started making ornaments with stones and pearls. Recently,  we put up a stall during the district school arts festival. The ornaments are sold at a reasonable price and we don’t put a price tag on the paper pens made by these children. Whoever visit them take as many as they want as a token of love.  Some pay Rs 100, some even pay more,” says principal P. Prathyusha.

There are three special education classes, four physiotherapy units, one occupational therapy unit, two learning disability units and three speech units.  Those who opt for paper pens over plastic pens can approach them and in return they will be rewarding the efforts by these special kids.