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Promoting
Environmental Education:
Y outh constitute a large part of the world’s population. Young children are particularly vulnerable to environmental risks. They will inherit the world full of problems, viz., access to clean and safe drinking water, outbreak of diseases, climate change related disasters and a damaged ecosystem. In addition, the young people will have to live longer with the consequences of current environmental decisions taken by their elders. The youth will be the change makers who, through their knowledge, observation and action, will combat the challenges for a greener today as also for an environment that will nurture the future generations. Today’s young generation has dreams, passion and hopes. Their bubbling enthusiasm has to be regulated and utilised. Their surplus power has to be exploited for the welfare of the country. Proper guidance and direction can bring them to the forefront and bring about change.
Keeping this in mind, a number of organisations as well as governments are working on environment issues targeting youth and school children. The students are encouraged to make their homes, schools and surroundings environmentally friendly by using safe products, recycle different materials as well as preserve resources such as water and electricity. If we look around us, a lot has been done in order to generate awareness and motivate the youth and young children in India, especially by the Government. On 18 December 2003, the Hon’ble Supreme Court further ordered and directed NCERT to prepare a module (model) syllabus and directed that: ‘We accept on principle that through the medium of education awareness of the environment and its problems related to pollution should be taught as a compulsory subject. The University Grants Commission will take appropriate steps immediately to give effect to what we have said, i.e., requiring the Universities to prescribe a course on environment. So far as education up to the college level is concerned, we would require every State Government and every Education Board connected with education up to the matriculation stage or even intermediate college to immediately take steps to enforce compulsory education on environment in a graded way.’ On 13 July 2004, the Supreme Court directed that ‘the syllabus prepared by the NCERT from Class I to XII shall be adopted by every state in their respective schools’. It further directed that ‘NCERT be appointed as a nodal agency to supervise the implementation of the Court’s order’. Compliance to Supreme Court order is mandatory and desirable, and applies to all states and Union Territories. (It is one of the few things that apply to all educational institutions in India.) NCERT developed the syllabus on Environment Education for Class I to XII, which was accepted by the Supreme Court. 1 The Ministry of Environment and Forest is the nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central Government for the planning, promotion, coordination and overseeing the implementation of India’s environmental and forestry policies and programmes. They have an Environment Education Division. The objective of the division is to:• Develop educational / teaching materials and aids for the formal education sector • Encourage non-governmental organisations, mass media and other concerned organisations for promoting awareness among the people at all levels • Promote environment education through existing educational / scientific / research institutions • Ensure training and manpower development in environment education • Mobilise people’s awareness for the preservation and conservation of environment2 Non-Government organisations have made tremendous efforts to create awareness and motivate the youth to take action. The brief information about these organisations and their work is described below. Centre for Environment Education The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) was established in August 1984 as a Centre of Excellence supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. CEE has a mandate to promote environmental awareness nationwide. CEE is committed to ensuring that due recognition is given to the role of EE in the promotion of sustainable development. CEE develops innovative programmes and educational material, and builds capacity in the field of education and communication for sustainable development. Presently, CEE is associated with 3000 schools across India and further reaching to millions of school children and youth through their various programmes. CEE is the nodal agency for implementation of UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) activities in India under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India. www.ceeindia.org/cee/index.html Centre for Science and Environment The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi. CSE’s Environmental Education programme takes environment issues into the classroom by organising practical workshops and talks about sustainability issues for school-students, youth and school teachers. CSE also runs an Ecological Footprint project, which consists of eco-tours, lectures and poster competitions where children learn about the ecological dimensions of their city. CSE is also running a Green School Programme in which both school students and teachers are trained on assessing the environmental practices of their schools using a guidebook prepared by them. The students go on an exploratory journey and find out what’s happening to the water, energy, land, air and waste in their school campus. Presently, 15,000 schools are in the Green School Programme network. http://www.cseindia.org/ CLEAN-India CLEAN-India (Community Led Environment Action Network) is a student-led (the future citizens spearheading the change) nationwide Assessment, Awareness, Action and Advocacy programme. It aims to mobilise community responsibility for environmental improvement and low carbon lifestyles through a network of schools and NGOs linked with government, business, academic and other institutions. This initiative was launched in 1996 with a vision of developing a cleaner environment for our towns and cities through the network. An endeavour that started with five schools in Delhi has now become a larger network of one million students, 400 schools, 30 NGOs and government support in 78 Indian cities. (www.cleanindia.org) Indian Youth Climate Network The Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) is a network of young people in 18 Indian states who are concerned about climate change and environment issues. Started in 2008, IYCN was registered as a society in 2009 with representation from eight states of India. Today, IYCN has 19 chapters in different states and offices in seven locations with outreach to thousands of youth in colleges, schools, corporations and institutions in India. As South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions affected by potentially catastrophic climate change and environment issues, the purpose of IYCN is to bring the voice of Indian youth on the global platform. IYCN provides technical, financial and administrative support to increase youth participation in protection of the environment of India. To also establish consensus on what role India should play in the global debate of climate change. IYCN focuses on Environment Empowerment, Community Involvement, Campaign Policy, Energy Efficiency, Waste Management and Eco-audit program. (http://www.iycn.in) TERI: The Energy and Research Institute TERI, formally established in 1974, has the Educating Youth for Sustainable Development (EYSD) Division to enable the youth to comprehend the importance of environment and motivate them to take concerted efforts to conserve it. The division works with school teachers, national / international educationists, policy makers, NGOs, cultural networks, and others. The Environment Education and awareness aims to inculcate among children a general awareness on the problems of environmental degradation and a sense of respect and responsibility towards the environment. TERI regularly organises environmental awareness programmes, holds workshops, and conducts programmes for teachers and students in order to sensitise them on environmental concerns today. These programmes are designed to enhance awareness, inspire behavioural changes for combating environmental damage, and develop the skills needed to resolve environmental problems. Various projects undertaken by the EYSD Division includes Climate EduXchange, TERRAQUIZ and Green Olympiad. http://www.teriin.org/index.php World Wildlife Fund WWF-India, founded in 1969, was conceived as a wildlife conservation organisation with the express objective of ensuring the conservation of the country’s wildlife and wild habitats. WWF-India believes that environmental education is a lifelong process to seek relevant solutions to environmental and social issues. It strives to strengthen the individual and institutional capacity for nature conservation and environmental protection, by promoting education and awareness within the social structure. In order to create interest and awareness about nature conservation and environment protection. The Environment Education Programme of WWF India carries out numerous activities such as promoting nature clubs and conducting camping programmes across the country. They have also set up interpretation centres at various National Parks and Sanctuaries to make environment education more meaningful. (http://www.wwfindia.org) Indeed, a lot has been done by various organisations (Government and NGOs) in order to create awareness among the youth and school children on the various aspects of environment and the reach out is also massive. The curriculum developed by NCERT is effective in schools, both in urban as well as in rural areas. However, there is still a need to create more environmental awareness in rural areas through more attractive programme as most NGOs focus mainly on urban youth. The need of the hour is for a consolidated and synergistic effort for large-scale impact. q Kavneet Kaur Footnotes
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