Panaji: Nearly 195 students from the Caritas Centre, along with their caregivers, stepped into a field at Benaulim last week for an experience many of them had never had before: paddy transplantation.For the children and young adults — who include students with autism, intellectual disability, deafblindness, and multiple disabilities — the day was about more than farming. They took part in plucking rice seedlings and transplanting them in the field, turning an unfamiliar setting into a lively, hands-on learning space in nature.Soraya Xavier, project coordinator, said special educators prepared a social story ahead of the visit, helping the students understand what would happen and what would be expected of them so they could join in with confidence.Students and caregivers worked alongside the parish youth of St John the Baptist Church. Before the activity began, Fr Malcolm Colaco walked everyone through the steps of paddy transplantation, while also underlining the importance of paddy farming and the hard work farmers put in.For many of the Caritas participants, Xavier said, it was their first time in a paddy field. “They participated in plucking rice seedlings and transplanting them, gaining hands-on learning while spending time in nature. They enjoyed the activity thoroughly,” she said.
