A Guest Speaker Programme on Air Pollution and its hazards was organised in Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram on Tuesday, 29 November 2022 for the students of Classes VII and VIII. The Guest Speakers for the programme were Dr Randeep Guleria, a renowned Pulmonologist and the former Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Professor Vartika Mathur, the Head of the Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi.
The programme was organised under the able guidance of the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan and with the support of the Headmistress, Ms Vinita Gupta, Headmistress, Classes VI-VIII. It was a part of the Green School Initiative, a flagship program in association with Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi and AIIMS, New Delhi.
The programme commenced by introducing the eminent guests to the audience followed by their felicitation by the Principal. Then the Principal addressed the gathering and spoke about how the school was honoured to have Dr Randeep Guleria and Professor Vartika Mathur as the guest speakers for the event. The Principal’s address was followed by an address by Professor Vartika Mathur, who elaborated about the Green School Programme which started in 2016 and how it has been instrumental in spreading environmental awareness to more than 37,000 school students.
Thereafter, Dr Randeep Guleria addressed and sensitised the students on air pollution and its health hazards since air pollution is one of the most worrying concerns that has been plaguing the environment for a long time, especially in our city. Dr Guleria spoke about the various important terms associated with air pollution and elaborated on its causes and effects with the aid of a vivid presentation. He also explained about the various types of pollutants and how we can involve our family and friends to take steps towards preventing this pollution. The session was quite interactive with the students putting forth their numerous queries regarding the topic and Dr Guleria patiently answering them.
This was followed by an interactive quiz conducted by the student volunteers of Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, which prompted the students to not only engage with the topic but also motivated them through the interesting rewards which were given by the student volunteers.
The session culminated with the Vote of Thanks delivered by the Headmistress of Classes VI-VIII, Ms Vinita Gupta, who thanked the esteemed guests, for sparing their valuable time and enlightening the students and teachers alike on this extremely pertinent issue. She also thanked the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan for her continuous guidance and encouragement along with Ms Dimple Menon, Activity Incharge for the Eco Club, for facilitating the programme.
The programme was an immense success and it not only educated the students about air pollution and its health hazards but also motivated them to take some serious steps to curb this, in order to create a sustainable and pollution-free environment for us and our future generations.