ESD in India – towards broad-based teaching, learning and
evaluation of students
by
Marjorie Fernandes
Associate Professor, Dept. of Economics
Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi
Contents
• Broad-based education – teaching, learning & evaluation
of students
• The four pillars supporting broad-based education
• Sustainable development through environment education
• Environment education in India
• Formal & non-formal environment education in Delhi
University
• Aims
• Methods/Forms
• How far does it contribute to broad-based education
Broad-based Education
Education involves the integration of the three aspects of teaching, learning &
evaluation of students – sometimes, inappropriate student evaluation is the ‘tail
that wags the dog’
Education is broad-based when it is based not merely on the one pillar of
knowledge, but is balanced also on the other three pillars, viz. doing, being and
living together; only such broad-based education can meet the needs of students
and society in terms of an enriched personal life & wider SD respectively
Even if academic knowledge is somewhat de-emphasized & the other three pillars
of education are given some importance in the teaching-learning process, it
would still not achieve the desired results if a matching change does not also
occur in the evaluation process
Implications of the four pillars of education (Lg to know, lg to do, lg to be & lg to
live together) for student evaluation
Sustainable Development (SD)
SD is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Need for SD: Growing evidence over the past few decades about human
behaviour undermining long-term survival – over-consumption &
production, pollution, deforestation & desertification, over-use of natural
resources, climate change, ozone depletion, huge & increasing disparities
in various aspects of economic development, lack of tolerance & cultural
understanding threatening world peace; link between local & global
development issues in the era of globalization in the 21st century
SD encompasses a variety of issues (environment, poverty, health, security,
democracy, gender & human rights, etc.) but environment is predominant
Promotion of SD: Envl. Education is an important means to promote envl.
awareness – an understanding & appreciation of the inter-relationship
between human beings, their culture and their bio-physical surroundings
– and concern leading to envl. action &thereby SD
Environment Education (EE)in India
Some efforts to environmentalize education before the 1990s reflected in curricula
and text-books at the school level but not at the higher education level, e.g.
‘Curriculum for the Ten-Year School’ (1975) underlined the need for EE across
the entire gamut of school education; National Policy of Education (1986)
recommendation that env. protection should form an integral part of curricula at
all stages of education (school & college) not taken seriously
Supreme Court of India made EE compulsory at all levels of education in 1991 –
only since then has EE been taken seriously at the college level
Ministry of Environment & Forests (MEF) has been implementing several schemes
& programmes for imparting EE – formal & non-formal EE
Formal EE – Although formal education is the mandate of the MHRD, MEF has
been interacting with MHRD, NCERT, State Depts. Of Education, etc. to
strengthen EE in the formal education system, especially at the school level –
text-books modified to infuse envl. concepts and teachers trained for the revised
curriculum; at the higher/college education level, a paper or a specialized
course on environmental issues introduced
Non-Formal EE – diverse activities using traditional & modern media of
communication aimed at conservation, protection and management of the env.
which in turn is essential for SD – NEAC, Eco-Clubs in schools & colleges,
GLOBE, etc.
Formal Envl. Education in Delhi Univ. Colleges – A Paper on
‘Environmental Issues in India’
Objectives
• introduce student to pressing envl. issues
• familiarize student with history of envl. issues in India
• throw light on some dilemmas & problems in envl. debates
Course Content
1. The importance of the Env.
2. Geography, ecology & cultures in Pre-Colonial India – Land, Forests,
Water, Pastures, Ecology of Hills & mountains
3. Colonialism & Developments in the Env. – New Regimes of Land,
Forests, Water & Irrigation; Resistance: Peasants, Tribals &
Pastoralists
4. Envl. Issues in Independent India – Forests, Dams , Displacement,
Pollution, Degradation
5. Envl. Movements in Independent India – Forests, Dams, Displacements ,
Pollution
6. Envl. Concerns in a Globalizing World
Suggested Readings
Non-Formal Envl. Education in Delhi Univ. Colleges – some examples
Miranda House: ‘Vatavaran’, the Env. Society
Intra-College Activities: Herbal Garden; Poster-cum-Slogan , Quiz & Essay
Competions relating to the Env.; Card-Making Workshop for decorating plain
cards made from recycled paper; Minimal Waste campaign (62% waste recycled
as paper & vermicompost), Screening of Env. Films; Declamation Contest on
Waste Management; National Workshop on Art & Science of Paper Recycling;
Income Generation through Sale of Recycled Paper Products, Vermi-Compost
& Plants sprouted in the Vermi-Culture Garden
Outside College Activities: Film Festival on Env. at IHC; Participation in 3-day
RCE’s Asia Pacific Region Conference on ESD, the Indian Youth Climate
Network’s Clean-Up of Delhi Univ.’s North Campus drive, Delhi Govt.’s ‘EcoClub’ Meet, National Seminar on ‘Management of Waste from Electronics &
Renewable Energies’, Second YUVA Meet on ‘Understanding Climate Change
through the Social Glass’
Lakshmibai College: ‘Sanrakshan’, Society for Envl. Awareness
Has a mission to open up a vision of an eco-friendly world to its students
Intra-College Activities: Essay-Writing, Art & Craft, Poster-Making Competitions;
Annual Exhibition entitled ‘An Eco-Friendly World’ – students get an opportunity
to learn about the 3 R’s (Reduce, Re-Use & Recycle); Integrated Solid Waste
Management Programme & Production of Organic Manure, Installation of a Solar
Bench, Proposal to install a ‘Rainwater Harvesting System’
Outside College Activities: Students taken to workshops/seminars to learn about &
enjoy India’s cultural heritage & natural beauty, Participation in Delhi Govt.’s ‘EcoClub’ Meet relating to Env.
Janki Devi Memorial College: ‘Avni’, the Env. Society
Intra-College Activities: Essay-Writing, Debate, Poster-Making & Quiz Competitions
relating to the Env.; Creating Awareness about the Rain-Water Harvesting Project
installed years ago as the first such project in a Delhi Univ. College for which a
prize of Rs. one lakh was awarded by the Chief Minister of Delhi; Competitions for
learning to identify & know about the many plants & trees on the college campus;
Recycling of Paper & Production of Organic Manure
Outside College Activities: similar to those of Lakshmibai College
Conclusions
• In the formal education system, EE is a separate paper/course – not integrated
with the rest of the student’s education – hence, it can make limited contribution
to SD
• Generally, the formal education system gives too much emphasis to the pillar of
knowing and very little, if any, to the other 3 pillars of being, doing & living
together
• Broad-based education cannot occur when the student evaluation process
occupies a predominant position and distorts the teaching-learning process as it
happens in the formal education system
• The non-formal education system is better-balanced than the formal system in so
far as all the four pillars are given some emphasis; also, it is more broad-based,
as it does not give enough importance to student evaluation to distort the
teaching-learning process.