Gujarat: Institute directs students to plant trees on committing mistakes

In an innovative environment-friendly step, an institute affiliated with University of Gujarat has instructed its students to plant a sapling for every mistake that they commit in the campus.

The students of Architecture Department of Shri Gijubhai Chhaganbhai Patel Institute of Architecture, Interior Design and Fine Arts have been asked to contribute towards saving nature by planting trees for every time that they get late to class or fail to submit an assignment.

"The students happily accept the punishment as it is an environment-friendly initiative. They have to plant a sapling and take care of it until they leave college. It was my decision to give this unique punishment to the students when they make mistakes," said Professor Mahesh Patel of Architecture Department.

"I myself plant saplings here in case I commit some mistake. I believe that punishment should be such that it gives our students some lesson that can make them a better individual. This initiative helps them develop a habit of planting trees from a young age", he added.

According to the faculty members here, most of the students visit the university to look after their plants, even after the completion of their course.

"This is not a punishment but a good move. Even I planted a sapling after forgetting to put my phone on silent", said Bhumisha Prajapati, one of the students at the university.

"This is a good step taken to protect our environment. Most of the plants and saplings in university premises have been planted by the students here," she added.