Sunday, January 17, 2010


STUDENTS TEACH A GM FREE LESSON

Ahmedabad, 16th January 2010:
Around 600 students from New Tulip International School came together and formed a human art message that read ‘I say no to bt Brinjal’. Students, teachers along with their Principal, Preetha Pillai, proved today that Schools are not just meant for textbook studies but also have a larger role to play in a democratic system.

Shivani Shah from GM free coalition said “gathered here are the youth of India who are speaking to the decision making adults urging them not to tinker with their future”.  On being asked why is bt brinjal such an important issue, Shivani answered “this is an important issue for three main reasons, the first one being that the impact bt brinjal will have on human health is not known.
The second being that the release of bt brinjal is a direct threat to the biodiversity of brinjals in India. And lastly, it will affect the exports of food to countries which have banned GM food”. “When it comes to bt brinjal, our students are equal stakeholders as all the Indian citizens are and hence their voice should be heard.  Our students have tried to send a message through this human art formation and I hope that it is heard by decision makers”, said Preetha Pillai, Principal of New Tulip High School. 

Union Minister for Environment and Forest, Shree Jairam Ramesh, is expected to arrive in Ahmedabad for public consultations on the 19th of January 2010. Ahemdabad is the third of the seven cities where the consultations will take place.  This is a call for people of Ahmedabad to participate in these consultations, which are mainly being organized to gather the opinions of the larger section of the society.  

No comments: