฀MPORTANCE OF ENV฀RONMENTAL EDUCAT฀ON ฀N ฀ND฀A
฀r. G.Muppudathi,
St.John ฀e Britto College of Education, India.
฀ntroduction
฀ndia, a country with the seventh largest landmass in the world, is a land of ancient traditions.
With over a billion people and at least 17 major languages, the diversity of ฀ndia in terms of
culture and biological wealth is enormous. ฀n spite of rapidly changing lifestyles, the
traditions of living in harmony with nature and of environmentally sound practices underpin
the lives of most people. Man is only one of the millions of species existing on earth. At the
same time, man is exploiting nature to the extent that nobody will escape from the harm
caused out of the greedy grabbling. Human demands are never ending ฀t is against this
backdrop that the country's EE strategy has been evolved. The Constitution of ฀ndia explicitly
makes environmental conservation a duty. The Central Government and all states within
฀ndia now have a Ministry or Department of Environment. Education departments recognize
EE as an essential part of education.
Emerging Of Environmental Education
The concept of environmental education emerged only in the seventies which were called as
the decade of environmental education. During that period the world realized that
environmental concerns and awareness could be spread only through a mass environment
education program. The concept of environment education emerged from the Stockholm
Conference organized by the United Nation in1972. Recommendations of the conference
emphasized organization of ‘formal’ and ‘mass’ environmental education programs.
Educating the people at large about environment and its components would develop critical
thinking analytical and problem solving skills in them. ฀t would develop knowledge and
insights to improve quality of human life on earth.
What ฀s Environmental Education?
Environmental education (EE) properly understood, should constitute a comprehensive
lifelong education, one responsive to changes in a rapidly changing world. ฀t should prepare
the individual for life, through an understanding of the major problems of the contemporary
world, and the provision of skills and attributes needed to play a productive role towards
improving life and protecting the environment with due regard given to ethical values.
(UNESCO, 1977)
The study which involves the various things in our surroundings is environmental education.
Environmental education informs us in great detail about that. ฀t teaches us about the life of
other creatures and how they manage to survive. Environmental Education gives us an idea
about the balance in the eco system which is being disturbed due to human interference. ฀t
concentrates more on Zoology and Botany rather than the human anatomy. Environmental
Education teaches us about everything that is not about the species ฀omo sapiens i.e. man,
but everything that influences a man’s life on this Earth. Environmental education, together
with sound legislation, sustainable management, and responsible actions by individuals and
communities, is an important component of an effective policy framework for protecting and
managing the environment.
Environmental Education is a new focus for education. ฀t is a way of helping individuals and
societies to resolve fundamental issues relating to the current and future use of the world's
resources. However, simply raising awareness of these issues is insufficient to bring about
change.
Why Should We Do Environmental Studies?
Today, we are faced with a major threat called Global Warming. The climate of various
places on the Earth is going through a major change. The heat level is rising with every
passing day. One of the major factors that contributed for this impending disaster is Pollution,
which is essential man-made. All the smoke from the factories and cars are raising the
pollution level. The wastes from factories which are being dumped in the rivers are slowly
depleting the life of our friends who thrive in water. One of the Seven Wonders of the World,
the Taj Mahal faces a major threat today because of pollution. Environmental Education is
being pushed so that people become aware of this harm they are causing to Mother Earth.
This is a desperate call for awareness and save our abode. The various resources on the earth
is also being depleted which needs to be checked as well. Something so precious as water and
food should never be wasted. Environmental Education is basically an awareness program in
which participation is compulsory for everyone for their own sake.
There is now a wide appreciation of the damage being done to the environment through
human activity. This damage is sometimes global, as in the case of the depletion of the ozone
layer and of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Often the damage is regional, as with
pest degradation of native forests, or the erosion of river catchments. Often too, the damage is
local. Pollution from motor vehicles, contamination of soil by chemicals, sewage discharges;
these and hundreds of other human activities stress the environment.
What has not worked and why. Appreciation and concern for the environment are values that
need to be inculcated during the early years of development. And thus EE for children and
youth becomes an integral and important part of the EE strategy of any country. ฀ndia, a land
of diversity ecological, biogeographical, cultural, social requires efforts which are rooted in
the local context, which present a picture to which the child relates, can provide solutions of
which the child can be a part.
Why Do We Need To Look At EE Now?
฀n present time man and environment considered to be interrelated and there interdependence
in them. The nature or environment becomes a source of sorrow and in happiness because
dust of earth, light and air of sky has the adverse effect on human beings. Therefore it
recognizes the need of introduction of environment education.
A clean and healthy environment is quintessential for the very survival of the human race. A
vast country like ฀ndia faces formidable challenges in the form of exploding population,
widespread poverty, recurring natural disasters and a dwindling natural resource base. A
majority of the population lives below the poverty line and are illiterate. They depend
exclusively on our diminishing natural resource base. So we need to think and act now.
Rapid population growth in ฀ndia causes untold suffering and all related hazards. ฀t causes
pollution and the resources like air, water etc. reduce the quality of life of man. ฀t causes
resource scarce. For these reason Environmental education is need for population
consciousness.
Against this background, EE becomes indispensable.
Environmental Education- Present Scenario in ฀ndia
฀ndia is one of the very few countries in the world where a commitment to environmental
protection and improvement is enshrined in the constitution. Environmental Education has
been a major thrust of both the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) of the Government of ฀ndia. While the
MHRD works towards the environmentalization of the formal curriculum, the MoEF focuses
on non-formal educational programmes and strategies to reach the larger community that
includes children, youth, urban and rural communities, industry, decision makers etc.
฀n addition to the efforts of the government a large number of voluntary organizations are
involved in promoting EE in both formal institutions and non-formal settings. The main
sources of funds for educational institutions and NGOs for EE activities are the government
(Central and States), independent trust, donor agencies, etc.
The National Policy on Education, 1986 states “There is a paramount need to create a
consciousness of the Environment. ฀t must permeate all ages and all sections of society,
beginning with the child. Environmental consciousness should inform teaching in schools and
colleges. This aspect will be integrated in the entire educational process”.
The National Policy on Education visualizes a national curricular framework, which contains
a common core including several elements having direct bearing on the natural and social
environment of the pupils. These core areas are expected to occupy place of prominence not
only in instructional materials but also in classroom and out-of-school activities. Today EE in
the formal educational system in ฀ndia is handled at three levels. ฀t is a composite subject
called Environment at the primary school level; it is infused into environment in regular
school subjects at the middle and secondary school level, and is a separate subject at the
college level. For EE to be effectively taken up in the curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular mode, resources and facilities have to be built up and strengthened both within and
outside the school and college system.
Objectives of Environmental Education
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Awareness : To acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its
allied problems;
Knowledge :
To gain a variety of experiences in and acquire a basic understanding
of, the environment and its associated problems;
Attitudes:
To acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment
and motivation for actively participating in environmental improvement and
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protection;
Skills : To acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems;
Participation:
To encourage citizens to be actively involved at all levels in
working toward resolution of environmental problems (UNESCO, 1978).
Evaluation ability:
To evaluate environs measures and education programmes in
terms of social, economic, ecological and aesthetic factors.
Goals of Environmental Education
EE aims to develop:
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Awareness, sensitivity and a positive attitude towards environment.
Knowledge and understanding of the ecological process.
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Greater participation in activities that help to overcome environmental challenges.
฀mportance of Environmental Education
The country accepted the need for environmental education, with the recommendations of
Tiwari Committee (1980). Many people recognize an urgent need for environmental
education. Besides introducing the subject of ‘environmental science’ at all levels of
education, we must give much emphasis on the new approaches and programmes of
environmental education. The lay public in rural, tribal, slum and urban areas, women and
students and teachers in schools, colleges and universities need to be educated about the
environment.
Environmental Education must strongly promote the need for personal initiatives and social
participation to achieve sustainability. Environmental Education is important for
understanding the basis of our existence and those around us. Hence, this stresses on the
subject. Environmental education, together with sound legislation, sustainable management,
and responsible actions by individuals and communities, is an important component of an
effective policy framework for protecting and managing the environment.
Environmental Education is a new focus for education. ฀t is a way of helping individuals and
societies to resolve fundamental issues relating to the current and future use of the world's
resources. However, simply raising awareness of these issues is insufficient to bring about
change. Environmental Education must strongly promote the need for personal initiatives and
social participation to achieve sustainability.
The concept of environmental education is not a new one as a major part of human
knowledge is derived from nature. Environment pollution in different forms continues to
trouble us but environmental education makes it possible for us to understand the clear
outcome of human activity on the environment. Those who want to pursue environmental
education seriously shall also study related disciplines such as physical science, biological
science, social science and applied science. Environmental education can be pursued at under
graduate and post- graduate level.
The Parameters of Environmental Education
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The EE should:
Consider the environment in its totality - natural and built, technological and social
(economic political, technological, cultural historical, moral, aesthetic);
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Be a continuous lifelong process, beginning at the pre-school level and continuing
through all formal and non-formal stages;
Be interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing on the specific content of each discipline
in making possible a holistic and balanced perspective;
Examine major environmental issues from local, national, regional and international
points of view so that students receive insights into environmental conditions in other
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geographical areas;
Focus on current and potential environmental situations, while taking into account the
historical perspective,
Promote the value and necessity of local, national and international cooperation in the
prevention and solution of environmental problems;
Explicitly consider environmental aspects in plans for development and growth;
Enable learners to have a role in planning their learning experiences and provide an
opportunity for making decisions and accepting their consequences;
Relate environmental sensitivity, knowledge, and problem-solving skills and values
clarification to every age but with special emphasis on environmental sensitivity to
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the learner’s own community in early years;
Help learners discover the symptoms and real causes of environmental problems;
Emphasize the complexity of environmental problems and thus the need to develop
critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
Utilize diverse learning environments and a broad array of educational approaches to
teaching/learning about and from the environment with due stress on practical
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activities and first-hand experience.
To achieve the goals and objectives of environmental education, it was seen that
environmental education needs to be planned nationally.
฀n the formal school, environmental education concepts may be carefully integrated
with different subject areas in a creative and functional manner. However, it requires
careful planning and implementation strategies.
Various Dimensions of Environmental Education
Environmental education is now being seen as an instrument and a process that enables
participation and learning by people of all ages, based on two-way communication rather than
the old paradigm of a one-way flow of information, from teachers to pupils. The content and
substance of environmental education is also undergoing review and change. Reorienting
education as a whole towards sustainability involves the various levels of formal, non-formal
and informal education at all levels of society.
฀t involves a three-fold classification of environmental education based on different
disciplines.
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Environmental studies : ฀t is concerned with environmental disturbances and
minimization of their impact through changes in social sciences,
Environmental science: ฀t deals with the study of the processes in water, air, soil
and organisms which lead to environment damage.
Environmental engineering: ฀t deals involves the study of technical processes used
to minimize pollution.
Elements of Effective Environmental Education Programs
฀ Effective environmental education programs are relevant to the mission of the
agency or organization, to the educational objectives of the audience and to the
everyday lives of the individual learners.
An agency or organization’s mission and environmental priorities provide direction for
program development in environmental education, guiding the development to goals and
objects and their choice of target audience.
Tying environmental education programs to the agency or organization’s primary purpose
helps focus program development and justify funding, prevent the establishment of generic
environmental education programs, and aid in program efficiency and sustainability.
Environmental education programs are often distinguished from informative or interpretive
programs, as they have objectives beyond information dispersal and involve working with an
audience that often has pre-defined learning objectives. A school group, for example, has predefined learning objectives in the form of a curriculum– what teachers will teach, the order in
which concepts should be covered, and expected knowledge and skills.
The key to relevant environmental education programs is finding commonalities among the
existing learning objectives and the agencies or organization’s mission and priorities. By
doing so, the needs of both the provider (the agency or organization) and the audience are
met. Teachers or leaders of the groups that will be participating in the program can often help
find these commonalities by providing and explaining materials that offer learning objectives
(state standards/benchmarks or badge requirements, for example).
Effective environmental education programs and materials need to present information and
ideas in a way that is relevant to the learners. This need for relevance stems from children’s
cognitive development, as they develop the ability to think concretely before they can think
abstractly. When programs move beyond what is relevant and meaningful, learners don’t
have the chance to build their learning on what they already know - learning becomes too
abstract. Thus, content is more effectively conveyed when embedded in a local context,
giving learners a chance to explore and experience what’s around them.
The sensitivity, knowledge and skills needed for this local connection provide a base for
moving out into larger systems, broader issues and an expanding understanding of causes,
connections and consequences. Likewise, skill building and application must be couched
within the context of solving real problems– problems that directly affect learners either at
home, at school or in their community. When environmental education is taught in the place
where they live and through authentic situations, a learner’s own experiences become a part
of their education.
Enjoyable learning experiences also help make programs more relevant to the learners. Many
environmental educators realize the value of learners having direct contact with nature. Small
bits of wild places where kids can explore are disappearing and time to visit them becomes
more and more rare, resulting in the “extinction of experience.”Thus, environmental
educators need to re introduce learners to their local area by exploring and experiencing it, by
learning about it and celebrating it. By doing so, environmental educators help learners
develop a sense of wonder and a sense of place, fostering the awareness and appreciation that
motivate them to further questioning, better understanding, and appropriate concern and
action. (While enjoyable experiences in nature are one way to launch an environmental
education program, it is not the only way. Learners in a central city environment, for
example, may become interested in the environment through efforts to clean up a toxic waste
site because it is damaging their water supply.)
฀ Effective environmental education programs involve stakeholders in all stages of
the program, from the development of the program to its evaluation.
Successful programs bring a coalition of stakeholders together to design, implement and
evaluate a program that meets their needs (Monroe, 1999). Stakeholders are those that have
a stake in the program that is developed. They are the people who care about a program, are
willing to develop a commitment to it and are best able to offer input into it. These
stakeholders might be teachers, funders, agency supervisors, community leaders,
landowners, extension workers, parents, and curriculum developers.
Their participation lends a variety of perspectives to the program, shaping the program focus
and audience. Their participation also helps achieve buy-in early in the process, so that as
the program is developed, it is more likely to be used. Another advantage of using
stakeholders is that it reinforces the image of community partnership and/or ownership and
interest in the program.
Stakeholders are also important during the evaluation phases of the program, as they can
offer input about what information to gather, how to gather it and ultimately how to share it
with important audiences. Organizations using this approach have found several things
helpful.
฀ “Effective environmental education programs empower learners with skills to
help prevent and address environmental issues and with a sense of personal and
civic responsibility.”
Awareness and knowledge of environmental processes and systems play an important role in
environmental education. But awareness and knowledge alone do not make a program an
environmental education program. And when considering the goal of environmental
education (environmental literacy and its accompanying responsible environmental
behavior), research shows that knowledge and attitudes are not the only variables at play.
While knowledge and attitudes alone don’t help or harm the environment, human behaviors
do. Behaviors, of course, are supported by knowledge and attitudes, but there is not a direct
cause and effect- progression from knowledge to attitude to behavior, as educators have long
believed (Day, 1999).
Environmental education attempts to teach students “how to think” and not” what to think.”
Rather than directing learners in a specific course of behavior, environmental education helps
learners form the capacity to collect and analyze information, make informed decisions, and
participate fully in civic life (Monroe, Day and Grieser, 2000).This requires more than the
awareness and knowledge of environmental processes and systems and positive attitudes
toward the environment; it requires procedural knowledge of how to affect change and the
competency in citizen action skills needed to participate fully in civic life.
Educators can help develop this procedural knowledge and competency in citizen action’s
kills by providing opportunities to define an issue, determine if action is warranted, identify
others involved in the issues, select appropriate action strategies, create and evaluate an
action plan, implement the plan and evaluate the results (NAAEE, 1996).
Educators can also provide opportunities to build skills in oral and written communication,
conflict resolution, and leadership and opportunities to participate in the political or
regulatory process, consumer action, and community service. This locus of control, or sense
that they have the ability to influence the outcome of a situation, is important in helping
learners develop a sense of empowerment and a sense of personal responsibility – further key
aspects of environmental education.
฀ Effective environmental education programs are accurate and balanced,
incorporating multiple perspectives and interdisciplinary aspects.
Environmental education has been criticized by a number of groups and individuals for
lacking credibility and accuracy. ฀n response to this wave of criticism, the National
Environmental Education and Training Foundation (NEETF) prepared a briefing report. The
report states, “Children and adults receive messages about the environment from many places
– television, movies, books, newspapers, and magazines. Their report further states that
environmental education promotes quality education and effective teaching across the
disciplines.
This recent opposition has prompted environmental educators to take a closer look at the
validity, relevancy and accuracy of the field’s materials and methods. The reports, books and
newspaper articles challenging the credibility of environmental education are helping insure
that the delivery of environmental education continues to be high quality education. While
there generally is consensus in the field for this balanced approach prescribed by NAAEE,
some environmental educators believe taking more of an advocacy approach is warranted
when educating for the environment.
฀ Effective environmental education programs are instructionally sound, using “best
practices” in education.
฀n order for environmental education programs to be effective in an educational sense, they
must also be congruent with the way people learn. Piaget’s theory implies that instructional
methods and content need to be consistent with how students develop cognitively, as children
cannot “learn” if they cannot understand what they are being asked to learn. Applied to
environmental education, curricula should be developed so that they facilitate stage-relevant
thinking and allow students to discover for themselves the logical connections between
objector events (Joyce and Weil, 1996). A further implication is for students to have many
opportunities to explore the natural world and think about it within their various stages of
intellectual development (Caine andCaine, 1990).
฀ Effective environmental education programs are evaluated with appropriate tools.
Program evaluation was born during the period of large-scale social programs and
government intervention of the 1960s and 1970s (Patton, 1997). Program evaluation focused
on guiding funding decisions, helping determine what was worth funding and what was worth
doing. As evaluations were implemented, a new role emerged: increasing overall program
effectiveness by guiding improvements to the program (Patton, 1997). This type of evaluation
is within contextual boundaries of time, place, values and politics. Central to his definition is
meeting the information needs of specific intended users (the stakeholders).
Their information needs, that is, their intended uses, focus the evaluation. Care must be taken
to incorporate the stakeholders’ opinions throughout the evaluation process, as this increases
the likelihood that the findings will be used. For environmental educators, changes in
knowledge, attitude, intentions, and behaviors of program participants are of interest. While
important, designing an assessment to measure these changes is difficult. The questions must
be specific enough to target some difference that will be measurable, and enough students
must be involved to find significant differences.
Teacher Education (Te) and Environmental Education (EE)
฀n order to help students grow in knowledge, skill and value, attitudes and awareness relevant
to environment teacher is expected to be not only dispenser of information and knowledge
but also managers to teaching learning situations. The ways of classroom organization have
also to be drastically changed.
Teacher preparation assumes greater significance as teachers, with the right attitude and will
to equip the future generation moulded during this period.
฀n the present study the
investigators highlight the need to understand one’s immediate surroundings and the right
attitude to preserve our local environmental resources at all costs.
The effectiveness of EE relies heavily on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the educator.
EE is not only a change in 'what' is being taught (the content), but also a new perspective on
'why' (the objectives and goals) and how (the approaches and attitudes).The key to any
change in the formal educational system is the teacher, and unless the teacher is convinced
about and feels competent to handle this, very little will change. The teacher has to
internalize a change in his/her role from one of 'giver of knowledge ‘to one of 'facilitator in
the learning process'.
฀f teachers are to be effective facilitators in bringing EE into teaching and learning their
capacities in understanding and internalizing the characteristics of EE and skills in transacting
these need to be built and strengthened. One way to do this is through pre-service and inservice orientation and training.
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EE in Pre-service Teacher education (Primary level)
Pre-service teacher education for primary school teachers is a two-year course. ฀t covers
foundation subjects as well as methodology subjects including educational philosophy and
psychology, educational administration, methods of teaching etc. The detailed guidelines and
syllabus for the course has been developed by the National Council for Educational Research
and Training (NCERT). The State Departments of Education in the respective states
administer the institutions for pre-service teacher training courses. The teaching of
Environmental Studies (EVS) is placed under both science and Social Studies syllabi
recommended by the NCERT. Context related to EVS teaching takes up a large part of the
first year syllabus. Training in EVS covers a total of 80 hours in the two-year course.
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EE in Pre-service Teacher Training (Secondary level)
Teacher Training for secondary level is offered by B. Ed. Colleges affiliated to universities.
Several universities have introduced environmental education as one of the optional or
elective papers at the B. Ed. Level. This course covers a total of 40 hours and is graded for
100 marks. The course content includes basic concepts and processes of environment and
ecology, as well as teaching-learning methodologies in EE, evaluation techniques etc.
Practical and assignments are also part of the course. ฀n some universities EE is integrated as
an exclusive chapter under one of the foundation courses called 'Education in Emerging
฀ndia’. The National Council of Teacher Education has recommended EE as a chapter in its
overall syllabus and guidelines for B. Ed. Colleges in the country.
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At the post-graduate level (M.Ed.)
Some universities have introduced EE as a special paper, while a few have given it the status
of a fully fledged course of two semesters.EE in ฀n-service Training The NCERT, State
Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the District ฀nstitute of
Educational Technology (D฀ET) are largely involved in in-service training in ฀ndia. The inservice training/orientation programmes range from one week to one month. Several of these
include an orientation of EE as part of the general course. ฀n recent years, some nongovernmental agencies with focus and expertise in EE have been invited to run short courses
on EE and EE approaches and methodologies as part of in-service teacher training. Another
experiment has been to train the teacher instructors of the D฀ETs in EE approaches so that
they may incorporate this into their teaching as part of the in-service teacher training
curriculum, and thereby pass these on to the teacher trainees.
Green Teacher
฀n a developing country like ฀ndia, there is need for capacity building of teachers, in
environment education, both through pre-service and in-service teacher training programs.
However the in-service teacher training program has to face the challenges of lack of time,
resources and relevance of training programs to the needs and work situations. One such
initiative is ‘Green Teacher’ a distance education course in Environment Education, for
practicing teachers launched by Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, ฀ndia in
collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada in 2005. ฀t is a one year
diploma program for teachers and educators. ฀nitially the course was offered through the print
medium, compiled in four modules, supported by field assignments and contact classes, Now
the program is also being offered both on-line and off-line with a suitable Learning
Management System (Jain,S.,Gaonkar,M.,2007). The Green Teacher program was an
outcome of ฀ndia’s National Policy of Education (1986) and the Supreme Court ruling of
2003 that environment education should be a compulsory curricular component at all levels
of education, starting 2004-2005.The Green teacher program develops the necessary
knowledge, skills and ideas pertaining to environment in the practicing teachers which is
novel initiative taking into consideration their constraints at the workplace (Daniel, J.
2007).The Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, ฀ndia has launched a Green
Schools Programme in which ‘survey’ of the school done by a school on its environmental
practices called as environmental auditing. The students form teams and explore the status of
water, energy, land, air and waste in the school. The teacher is a facilitator and organizes
activities on the basis of a handbook called the Green Schools Programme Manual. The
Environment Education Unit (EEU) of the centre conducts a two-day training program for
teachers, educators, development workers and people interested in environment education.
The training includes interactive sessions, film presentations and several modules on how
they can implement the environment programs in their schools. A Green Educators Network
has been launched which has the vision of bringing together environment educators across
the world to create a forum to share and discuss various aspects of environment education. ฀t
also releases ‘Down to Earth’ a weekly dispatch of feature articles in English and Hindi
languages (source: http://www. cseindia.org/)
฀mportance of Technology Mediated Environment Education for Teachers
Teacher’s can play a pivotal role in transmitting knowledge and creating awareness about the
environment and help to tackle the local and global environmental issues. The teacher’s
community should be motivated and committed to the cause of realizing the goals of
environment education and should take initiatives in designing the program of environment
education. However for teachers to succeed in their enterprise and endeavor for spreading
environmental awareness, it is important that the educational institutions should provide
conditions conducive for it. ฀t is essential that teachers should be properly trained themselves
on environment concepts and skills to impart training to learners. Teachers should be well
equipped with the knowledge method and teaching learning, material to inculcate the right
understanding of and attitude towards environment in the learners. To create a workforce and
community of environmentally aware and concerned citizens, technology can play a vital
role.
Distance education has emerged as a non-formal, learner-centric, cost effective, alternative
method of teaching-learning, across the world. The instructional gap is bridged between the
teacher and learner who are removed from direct, immediate, face to face contact. Distance
education employs a multimedia approach to instruction which involves a judicious blend of
print and non-print media. Research studies reveal that technology has a positive impact on
the teaching learning system and this has brought about a more positive attitudinal change
among learners. Teaching has become more dynamic and both students and teachers have
become equally enthused. ฀n this context, open and distance learning can be used for
promoting environmental education (Pant, H., 2005). ฀t is pertinent to examine some
technology mediated initiatives undertaken worldwide to spread environmental education.
Teacher Education for EE: Concerns and ฀ssues
฀ There is lack of adequate pre-service training in EE. There is also lack of consensus
on what should be the scope and content of EE at various levels of pre-service
training programmes. A major concern is the danger that EE should not be perceived
as mere introduction of environmental concepts and facts.
฀ While 'Environment' as subject has been incorporated in one way or another in most
school curricula, training in EE has not yet infused the curricula of teacher training
courses. Thus teachers are not well equipped to deal with the new subject area.
฀ Where EE has been introduced as an optional or elective subject into teacher training
courses, it is not perceived by students to be as useful as other subjects such as
Educational Technology, Multimedia Education, Computer Education, etc.
฀ EE is generally perceived as having heavy natural science content and hence is not
chosen by 'non-science' students who feel they may not be able to grasp it.
฀ ฀n-service training is usually a one-time training module. This may help in orienting
teachers, and perhaps motivate them in initiating EE efforts. But this may be
inadequate to sustain these efforts over a period time. There is need to provide some
system through which teachers can receive ongoing support both through formal
training programmes and through continued networking.
฀ There is great need for relevant source/resource/reference materials and other
resources for teachers. The immense value of locale-specific EE materials extends
beyond language to also address content, context, concepts, issues and examples.
฀ Lack of resources and support from institutional management and other crucial
agencies may also restrict the access of teachers to training opportunities, resource
and reference material and ongoing support in implementing EE methodologies and
activities in their course of work.
Challenges of Environmental Education
There are many challenges for environmental educators in ฀ndia. Apart from the obvious ones
of helping strengthen environmental management and conservation, one of the important
ones is to bring about awareness of the need that the country develops in less wasteful ways
than is the current paradigm. EE is one of the tools that can help ฀ndia achieve this goal.
There are considerable initiatives in EE in ฀ndia today. There are also several challenges.
Some of these are:
฀ The challenge, in a large and diverse country, to find the right blend between
centralized and de-centralized efforts and approaches.
฀ The challenge of reaching out to large numbers cost-effectively.
฀ The challenge of making environmental considerations relevant and meaningful to
various groups
฀ The challenge of putting EE on the agenda of educational decision makers The
challenge of putting sustainable development concerns high on the agenda of policy
makers, and
฀
Finding and developing human and financial resources for EE
Our teachers know that environmental education supports student growth in
academics, character education, and preparation as future citizens.
Measures Taken For Consciousness
1. Population awareness programme should be started from villages to towns.
2. Students are to be taught to restore and construct their surroundings.
3. There should be a topic to educate them.
4. The areas must be taken up are human health, family planning nutrition of child and
women rural development, slum improvement, prevention of food contamination etc.
5. The children in schools should be taught the role of trees, wild life etc.
6. The objective based training to be made to love for plants and animals.
7. They must be sensitive to environmental problems.
8. They must require skills for solving environmental problems.
Conclusion
Teachers need to be prepared to become EE facilitators, who will proactively adopt the
activity oriented approach to teaching and learning through, about for the environment. This
will require in addition to teacher training, ongoing support that will reach into
schools/colleges and influence the EE programme. This support could be perhaps from an
external resource agency that closely interacts with the educational system on an ongoing
basis.
฀
From the above discussion the following suggestions emerge:
The problem of environment abuse is a serious one and needs to be addressed at the
local, national and international levels .To achieve a good quality of life on earth for
all living beings, it is essential to spread awareness about and educate humankind in
฀
sustainable development and environmental problems.
฀t is agreed, that teachers are potential change agents and are capable of generating a
workforce of enlightened, skilled and motivated learners. They can empower the
citizens with the ability attitude and values to protect the environment using formal
and non formal channels of education. ฀t is essential that teachers themselves need to
be trained and equipped with the requisite knowledge skills and values to effect such a
฀
change.
Universities and schools have to play an important role to translate the objectives and
recommendations of the various commissions and committees into practice for
฀
achieving environmental literacy and awareness among learners (Kumar, A., 1986).
Technological interventions and mass media should be employed to create
environmental awareness among the teaching community. A convergence of the
conventional and open and distance learning systems should be employed to meet this
฀
challenge.
There is a need to train teachers in additional competencies regarding environment
education (UNESCO-1985). The teacher training curricula should integrate
environment education with the methodology component of all disciplines, since
environment is a part of all areas of study. Non formal channels of education like t. v.,
radio, press and satellite technology can be effectively utilized for capacity building
฀
of environment educators.
Online courses on environment education with a thrust on the practical, skill and
value development aspect could be developed for the teachers, educators’
administrators, development workers or any person interested to become
knowledgeable and aware of environmental issues, on the lines of Green Teacher
฀
฀
Programme of the Centre for Environment Education, Ahmadabad, ฀ndia.
User friendly, multi-media courseware on environment problems and awareness can
be prepared, particularly for the rural -agro based communities in ฀ndia.
Collaborative ventures could be created between the teachers and community through
the agencies of schools, colleges, universities and other institutions. Such
collaborations could include campaigns on environment awareness, tree plantations,
฀
and waste management or also in developing instructional materials.
Electronic and computer networks could be employed to connect globally and acquire
information and expertise on latest developments in the area of environment
education and training. Hence technology mediated learning can play a major role in
dissemination of knowledge, skills and values regarding environment, among teachers
and through them to our future generations.
EE IS A TOOL TO MAKE THIS WORL฀ A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE
REFERENCES
Centre for Environment Education, Greening Formal Education: Concerns, Efforts and
Future Directions. Preliminary Report, Ahmedabad, ฀ndia, 1998.
Centre for Environment Education, Environmental Education in ฀ndia, a Report,
Ahmedabad, ฀ndia, 1998.
Ravindranath, M. J. Environmental Education in Teacher Education, a paper, Centre for
Environment Education, 1999.
Ravindranath M. J., Environmental education in teacher education in ฀ndia, Journal of
Education for Teaching, Volume 33, ฀ssue 2,191- 206, May 2007, (http://itec.macam.ac.il/)
Sharma.V.S., Environmental Education, Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.,New Delhi, 2005.
Nanda.V.K., Environmental Education., Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.,New Delhi, 2005.
.Usha devi V.K and Dhanya, R. ฀ndian Journal of Environmental Education, Volume 9,
April 2009
8-15. (http://cpreec.org)