The Kerala government has today introduced a water bell system at schools to ensure that students drink adequate water to keep their bodies hydrated during school hours. The announcement of this initiative was made by State General Education Minister V Sivankuty during a function held in a vocational and higher secondary school.
Water break schedule
According to the government instructions, the bell would be rung twice at 10.30 am and 2.30 pm in all schools in the state to remind students to drink water. According to official sources, it is necessary to ensure that students drink adequate water to keep themselves hydrated during summer as the temperature soaring by the day in the state.
Clean drinking water should be available in schools
The minister emphasized that the rising temperature could cause dehydration and discomfort among students. Therefore, students must drink plenty of water, even if they do not feel thirsty. The minister also stressed the need for clean drinking water to be made available in schools for students who do not bring water from home. Drinking enough water is the only way to combat the adverse effects of the increasing heat, and the minister urged everyone's support in successfully implementing the initiative.
The General Education Department clarified that Kerala was the first state in the country to introduce this system.
"We implemented it for the first time in 2019 in schools in some areas, due to the high temperature there. Drawing lessons from us, states like Karnataka and Telangana implemented it later. Now, we are implementing it in schools across the state considering the rising mercury levels," a source had said. Under the new system, each such 'drinking water' break will be for five minutes.
(With inputs from PTI)
