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Environmental Education

Environmental education is one of the most effective ways of increasing environmental public awareness and constitutes a crucial factor in the success of public involvement for environmental protection. Environmental education is a continuous, lifelong process and involves learning about nature through scientific knowledge, the arts, personal experience, and imagination.

Education of children in school - Environmental education for children provides basic information about environmental protection, aquatic ecology and the relationships between human activity and water quality. Pre-school and primary school education should make use of the natural curiosity of children and stimulate it accordingly.

The following guidelines are useful when designing an educational project:

• The exchange of information should be reciprocal. The student should not be only a receptor of the information.
• The exchange of information between the students and their communities should be promoted.
• The material should be specific to the children and their community, e.g., refer to "our water" and "our lakes".

Education that produces the best results, regardless of age, is that which is conducted in direct contact with nature, enabling emotional links to develop. Education within the environment is essential for developing a sense of responsibility in children for the environment.

The use of parent-teacher associations in schools to enhance the link between children and their communities can increase the dissemination of environmental issues and create public awareness.

Environmental education in high schools and universities - Environmental education in high schools and universities should aim to train students to solve problems on local, regional, national and international scales. Every student should have some exposure to issues concerning environmental protection. Students of journalism should be encouraged to gain the knowledge necessary to be able to transmit reliable information on environmental activities. The training of teachers is especially important in the development of environmental education programs.

Education of decision-makers - Employees of the government should learn how to collect, develop, and transmit information about the quality of the aquatic environment, and obtain financial resources for these activities. They should have the opportunity to acquire these skills by attending workshops, seminars, professional courses and training in law and environmental management, and by working in partnership with relevant entities.

Non-formal education - Special attention should be given to the education of out-of-school youth, and urban and rural dwellers. The use of non-formal education approaches, such as religion, drama, art and popular singers, should be encouraged. Adult literacy classes provide a good opportunity to transfer knowledge, skills and new practices to these groups.

Dissemination of educational materials - At the national and regional levels, mass media and commercial advertising stand the best chance of being effective. These include the use of newspapers, journals, television, radio, and electronic notice boards. Since radio ownership is high almost everywhere, even in the poorest communities, radio allows messages to be communicated to large numbers of people at low cost. Where radio campaigns, or better still "soap opera - drama" style programs containing the required messages, are re-enforced by strong political support, changes can be widespread. Educational magazines and newsletters for children and adults, containing articles, stories, games and crosswords on environmental issues are also quite useful (see Walia Magazine approach, IETC Technical Publication Series number 11, p167).

The role of culture in education - Cultural expression such as drama and art play a role in environmental education. In situations where people are passive recipients, art inspires their imagination and sensitivity. Alternatively, one may express feelings in painting or graphics or in words. The example of "the month of art" in Senegal shows how it is possible to link children, work, and thoughts, with scientific research. (IETC Technical Publication Series number 11; chapter 4, p. 172).

Table of Contents

• Brochure
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• International Year of Forests
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• World Environment Day
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• UNEP Campaign
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