Assam's forests become the classroom: students learn wildlife science inside a tiger reserve

Assam's Forest Department has launched the 'Nameri Wild Classroom' at Nameri Tiger Reserve, opening the forest itself to students from Class VIII upward, college students included. The two- and three-day residential programmes trade textbooks for birdwatching, guided forest walks, wildlife tracking, river ecology studies — even rafting on the Jia-Bharali River. Naturalists and forest staff walk alongside the students, who keep field journals of everything they spot and earn certificates at the end. The idea is simple and hopeful: when young people learn inside nature, curiosity, scientific thinking, and a lasting love for biodiversity grow on their own.