KOLKATA: After seeing Japanese students clean their school at the end of the day, students of Birla High School, who recently visited the country on an exchange programme, have introduced the concept of cleaning up the classroom after school hours.
“Students of classes VI to XII now clear the litter, be it scraps of paper, toffee wrappers, or pencil shavings, and put them into the waste basket. They also organise the desks and chairs properly before leaving. It is now mandatory for all students to clean their classrooms for five minutes from 2 pm to 2.05 pm. When they leave, the classes are now clean and tidy,” said Renuka Chatrani, the teacher who went to Japan along with four students from the school.
Sushila Birla Girls’ School, whose students also participated in the exchange tour, introduced the classroom clean-up programme last year when the management visited Japan to do a recce prior to the trips.
“We were struck by the dignity of labour in Japan and the pride that students take in cleaning up the entire school. They dust and sweep the floors and even the restrooms. After a long break, they do spring cleaning. After an Udon noodles making workshop there, I found even the Principal cleaning utensils along with the rest of us,” recounted Sushila Birla Girls’ School tour coordinator Nabanita Sen.
The eight students — four from each school — visited three schools during the trip: Ogawa High School, Omiya Kita High School, and Matsuyama Boys High School. They were hosted by families of Japanese students who visited Kolkata last July-Aug. The group visited Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Ogawa, and Odaiba during the trip from March 15 to 25.
“We learnt Ikebana, the art of arranging flowers, as well as calligraphy in which we learnt how to write our names in Kanji script. We also learned about the Japanese tea ceremony. But what really impressed us most was the courteousness of people and all-round discipline. Everything worked with clockwork precision,” recounted class X Birla High student Eashan Ajitsaria, who was on the trip with Raman Manohar Singh, Aarav Juthani, and Vashisth Kedia.
What the students also found amusing was the obsession of people with their cellphones. “We often hear that we spend too much time on our cellphones. But that is nothing compared to the average Japanese that we encountered. At least, when we children hang around, we chat and pull each other’s legs. In Japan, students do not speak to each other while waiting at the station or during commute, not because they are not on talking terms but because they are all glued to their cellphones!” said class X Sushila Birla student Dishita Chatterjee, who visited the country along with Saisha Agarwal, Aadyashakti Dalmia, Harshila Nahar, and Nabanita Sen.
“The exchange programme is a great way for the children to learn about the two countries, understand and appreciate each other’s cultures, and make lifelong friends. We hope to expand this initiative to include other schools in Kolkata,” said Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Japan in Kolkata, Ashida Katsunori, who loves to speak in Hindi.
