On Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has passed a motion in which it has said that a bell should be rung in schools thrice a day, to remind kids that they should drink water.
According to Mid-Day, the concept was first introduced in a Kerala school. But in Mumbai, the concept still needs approval from the municipal commissioner before it is implemented in schools. The idea was mooted by Shiv Sena corporator Sachin Padwal and the concept was passed in the house on November 15. Padwal told the leading that children spend 5 to 7 hours in school and in that period, they should drink water at least thrice. As many students forget to do so, he suggested that schools have a bell rung thrice a day to remind students to drink water.
Kalyani Aruumugam, principal of SIES School in Sion told Mid-Day that, "We have already instructed our teachers, especially class teachers, to remind children to drink water. In the timetable, too, we have a timing set for drinking water for students till Std V. We started this four years ago after having an annual convention on the importance of water. The BMC guideline will, however, definitely bring about a positive change in schools as even those who might not have thought of it before, will take steps for it."
Kerala schools have started ringing the bell not just at the beginning and end of classes but also to remind students to drink water. Kerela’s Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar confirmed at a press conference that the Kerala government will introduce water bell in schools. The initiative will help in keeping the students hydrated.
As per the scheme, the water bell will ring thrice a day. The first bell will ring at around 10:35 am, followed by the second bell at 12 noon and the third bell at 2 pm. The water break will last for 15 to 20 minutes. Students will have to drink water when the bell rings. The idea of a water bell has emerged because of the rise in diseases among the people due to less intake of water. Soon after Kerela, Karnataka and Telangana schools followed the same.
