Now, planting a tree a part of DU’s new curriculum, compulsory for all students from upcoming session

Registrar Vikas Gupta said students would need to submit a proof of having planted the tree to their respective departments and colleges.

Delhi University (DU) on Saturday said that it would be mandatory for all students to plant at least one tree anywhere in the country as part of their programme in the upcoming academic session.

It was being done to move “environmental education to environmental action at the ground level”, officials said.

“From the upcoming academic session, it has now become compulsory for every student to plant at least one tree anywhere in the country during the course of their study. This will be applicable at the undergraduate, postgraduate and MPhil/PhD level. The programme will be scientifically monitored and evaluated by the respective colleges, centres and departments,” registrar Vikas Gupta said in a statement.

Gupta told The Indian Express that students would need to submit a proof of having planted the tree to their respective departments and colleges.

A notification in this regard has also been issued. “Each student should plant at least one native tree species in his/her native place/place of stay… The student should submit GPS coordinates/site location along with the picture of the plant to the respective college/department/center. Picture should have a placard containing details, such as name of the tree, name and course of the student, location and date of plantation,” the notification read.

“The student needs to take care of the tree planted by herself/himself by periodic monitoring. For long-term monitoring, the family members/RWA/local bodies may be involved. Six-monthly reports, photographs with some description of growth needs to be submitted by the student…” it added.

The notification also states that the sapling will have to be replaced in case of death of the tree due to a natural disaster or “unforeseen circumstances”.

While for undergraduate students, it will be a part of the compulsory course on Environmental Studies, for postgraduate ones, it will be part of the course in the first semester. It has also been included in the MPhil/PhD coursework.

In a press conference on Saturday, acting vice-chancellor P C Joshi said the need for trees and oxygen was all the more necessary in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The world is facing one of the greatest humanitarian crises not only because of the pandemic but also the several environmental, social and economic challenges. For the first time, we all realized the value of oxygen and the pandemic has taught us many things,” he said.

“Planting and subsequent maintenance of trees will not only create a big supply chain in creating jobs at different levels but also yield several valuable products. Moreover, we have a responsibility towards fulfilling the United Nations SDG Goals as well,” Joshi added.

Dinabandhu Sahoo, the director of the Centre for Himalayan Studies, is the brain behind the proposal.

“Today, we are facing a major biosphere crisis. There are only 28 trees per person available in India, while the global average is 422. Canada has 8,953 and China has 130 trees per person,” he added.

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