Report+-+Draft+4

Draft 4 of Report Please add on to it. 24/07 ~Bijou sorry, I did not see what jina put up. I think just use hers and improve on it. ~Bijou again hihi. i've just put it in. pls add the underlying poblem!!!~Jina OK, I've done a bit on the underlying problem but I'm still not sure where to put the area of concern. ~ Natalie

AREA OF CONCERN: BIRDS IN THE CANTEEN · ** background information of the school: ** o ** Rosyth **** School is a primary school in Singapore serving a school population of about 2700 pupils aged between 6 and 12 years of age. It is located in the middle of Serangoon North, a densely-populated housing estate solely comprising apartment blocks interspersed with some trees and greenery. ** · ** background info of the problem ** o ** One of the problems faced by the school is the number of birds that come into the school premises. These birds can be found in all the open areas of the school such as open corridors, the indoor basketball court and the lobby but the largest numbers are found in the school canteen and around the guard post. The most common birds are sparrows, mynahs, crows and pigeons. ** o ** problems caused by birds ** § ** Although in some ways it might be pleasant to have birds in one’s environment, these birds present certain problems. Some of the birds roost in nests built close to classrooms and the noise from the birds can sometimes be distracting. This is limited to a few areas. A bigger problem is caused by the birds in the canteen. These have become quite a nuisance as they scavenge the area for leftovers. They also pose a real danger to health and hygiene as they leave their bird droppings on canteen tables and steal unattended food thus, contaminating it. ** o ** what have we done to find out more about this problem ** § ** we have carried out observations in the canteen on the number of birds found as well as the factors affecting the birds’ presence. We have also carried out a survey to find out how many students have been affected and their opinions on this topic. Interviews with the principal, canteen vendor, students and school attendants on their opinions have also been done. Besides that, we have also researched on birds to find out more about them, research on the possible causes of the birds coming to the school, what others in Singapore have done about this bird problem and the harmful effects of the birds’ presence. ** o ** Findings ** § ** We have found through the survey and interviews that some people look at the birds presence as something positive instead of most of the others who look at the birds in a negative aspect. We have also found that more than half of the students who responded to the survey have been negatively affected by the birds, not a good sign. Through our observations and research, we have found, that the birds have nowhere to go. We have also found that the crows are the most daring of the lot, stealing food even when there is a “guard” over it, thus the crow is the one causing the most trouble. ** § ** Factors affecting the birds presence ** § ** Weather is one of the main factors involved here. Through observations, we have seen that the birds come, not only for the food, but to seek shelter from the sun or rain. The presence of food and lack of presence of people also have an impact as the birds come most in between recesses, where there are very little people, but leftovers are there for them to feast on. Lastly, the difficulty to get in. The birds are found in open areas because it is more difficult to go into closed areas like the classrooms as they have windows and doors unlike open spaces like the canteen. ** o ** how the school has tried to help ** § ** The school has removed coloured plates from ceiling which used to attract many birds and these birds would nest up there, causing even more trouble in the canteen. The school has also put in proper covers on the bins where students return their cutlery and crockery as these are one of the birds’ favourite places to scavenge for food. There also seems to be a kind of scarecrow put there recently in the form of a big black bird. Lastly, we have teachers patrolling the canteen at recesses to make sure the students put their cutlery and crockery in the right places. ** o ** effectiveness of above ** § ** birds have no longer nested in the canteen ceiling since then, which means it is no longer a home for the birds where they have food and shelter which makes them stay on long-term. With the covers in place, the birds can no longer scavenge for food from the bins. Sadly, the scarecrow does not seem to work as we see birds just flying past them, not caring a hoot about its presence. Having teachers in the canteen is effective to some degree as most students put their cutlery and crockery in the right places where no bird can reach them now. However, there is only one teacher at one time, and that one teacher cannot possibly oversee all the pupils at the same time so some pupils still leave their plates around. At lunch, there is also no teacher there to oversee students so some students get away with leaving plates around. ** > How might we change the attitude of the students so that they will not leave their food around for the birds to eat, reducing the problems caused by the birds? (~Kang Hui. this we can still improve on) ** Elaboration on Kang Hui's: How might we change the attitude of the students so that they will take the responsibility and not leave food around, thus birds will not be attracted to the food and cause problems. (?) ~ Natalie >
 * ** Challenges **
 * ** Reasons we cannot get rid of birds **
 * ** Birds have a useful purpose – can’t just get rid of the birds by killing them off **
 * ** Prevent them from coming to places where they can cause harm – canteen **
 * ** No places for the birds to go to **
 * ** Some attempts have not been effective **
 * ** Scarecrow not working **
 * ** Teachers cannot always be present **
 * ** Even though cleaners clean the canteen immediately after each recess, within the short time frame that the food is around, the birds come **
 * ** Pupils leave food around (e.g. food that has dropped on the floor, onto table) and this attracts the birds, **
 * ** Sometimes pupils don’t clear their plates **
 * ** Pupils are not aware of what causes the birds to come and the dangers these birds pose **
 * ** Leave food while they buy something else – birds eat and contaminate the food **
 * ** Pupils do not take responsibility – blame the cleaners: **
 * "if the cleaners were swifter such could be avoided" this is a quote from one of the students. Now, the students are even blaming the cleaners for the birds' prescence. is such reasonable? besides, it is their own fault for leaving food around. shouldn't they think: if they were the cleaners, would they be able to rush immediately to clean whenever there is a bit of food dropped? furthermore, they should not be blaming anybody for the problems caused by the birds.
 * ** Canteen open-air – easy access for birds **
 * ** Birds sometimes are not frightened of people **
 * ** Birds dirty the place with their droppings and the germs they bring **
 * we have seen that most people have seen the birds at work; stealing food and such. Some have even become victims. this is a problem as if more people become victims, more people will be affected by the birds.
 * **57.1% ** of the students who responded have been affected by the birds. There were things mentioned like the birds are disruptive, unhygenic, there is feces all over the place, they must be stopped.they have also seen others affected. this is a bad sign for the same reason as the above.
 * ** Underlying Problem
 * ** Underlying Problem
 * THE END **