‘Water bell’ for Begusarai schoolkids

BEGUSARAI/PATNA: Taking a cue from government schools in Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana, a state government school in Begusarai has introduced the water bell concept to ensure schoolchildren drink enough water.
As the water bell rings, all students of the Government Middle School at Bihat drink from their water bottles in front of their teacher or the class monitor.The bell for the next class rings after five minutes.
Principal Ranjan Kumar said the step has been taken to ensure proper intake of water by every child. “Children often tend to skip drinking water despite feeling thirsty while sitting in the classrooms. This causes serious health issues for them and in some cases lead to dehydration,” he told TOI on Thursday.
“During the morning assembly, the school principal announces that the third, fifth and seventh periods will be preceded by water bells. Kids remain fresh and energetic throughout the day when they drink water at short intervals,” he added.
The principal claimed that the idea to introduce water bells came up during discussion with Priyanka Kaushik, a research fellow of a Mumbai-based non-government organisation, who visited the school last week.
“The research fellow told us about dedicated water bells that have been adopted in several government schools in Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana, which have health benefits for children. We have seen that energy level of students gets better and their inclination towards study in the classroom also improves. It also helps them become less disease prone.”
Shubhangi, a Class V student said she feels more attentive during the latter periods of the day now. “Earlier, I felt sleepy after lunch break,” she added. Vaibhav Kumar, a Class VIII student said, “It's fun to have all students of the class sip water from their bottles together. I definitely feel fresh during the latter part of the day in the school.”