With the increasing effects of climate change, issues of conserving the environment must take a centre stage.
In this write-up, Moses Bukwatsizo a Senior Secondary school Teacher shares and explains why schools must double their efforts.
The term environment comes from a French word Environner meaning to encircle or surround. In short, environment means surroundings of man. These include mountains, valleys, plateaus, rocks, soils, minerals, water bodies, forests, animals e.t.c.
A clean and safe environment is everyone’s desire therefore; schools at all levels should impart environmental issues to the young generations.
Reasons why the environment issues should be taught in schools.
- To create awareness among the young generation on the importance of natural environment.
- It will foster anxiety to learn since the child’s mind is still fresh. “A natural setting is a natural laboratory for learning experimentation.”
- Environmental education makes the child to learn about and be a partner and live in harmony and peace with the surrounding environment.
- Environmental education will provide early exposure to the immediate local environment hence promoting the concept of learning begins at home.
- It will enable the young people to provide solutions to the challenges facing the environment e.g pollution, floods, landslides, garbage/waste management issues, climate change among others.
- It will enable the young people to carry out research on the modern trends of mitigating disasters/climate change.
- Interactive learning on environmental issues fosters intellectual and ethical development in a child’s growth e.g knowing that trees and animals have a right to exist without being violated.
- Early learning on environment provides education which recognizes that human and natural diversity are crucial in an eco-system and human society.
The roles schools can play to make environment clean and safe for human survival for today and future generations.
a.) Schools can introduce the 3Rs that is; Reduce waste, Recycle materials, Reuse resources.
b.) Organize for tree planting days at school and tell the young people the importance of tree on the environment.
c.) Emphasize the use of alternative sources of fuel such as bio gas, solar energy to save existing forests.
d.) Encourage resource conservation programs and skills to the young stars e.g proper use of water resources, land, and vegetation.
e.) The schools can help to teach about population control through family planning as a possible way to reduce stress on environment.
f.) Schools can help to teach better farming methods which are environmentally friendly e.g mulching, use of organic manure, planting cover crops, digging terraces e.t.c
g.) Schools can help to impart skills of weather forecast and prediction. This will enable the young generation to have timely information on weather changes.
h.) The school can provide information on technological transfer policies i.e use of charcoal saving stoves, embark on rural electrification.
i.) Emphasis on proper garbage collection and general waste management skills to avoid disasters like Kitezi incident which led to loss of lives. Some garbage can be used as manure, can be recycled etc.
j.) Areas prone to disasters can be taught to the young generation for proper mapping and possible re-settlement.
k.) Tertiary institutions such as colleges and universities can develop monitoring systems, set environmental targets to minimize the impact the consequences of degraded environment.
In conclusion, focus should be put on preservation of existing forests, wetlands, planting of trees, population control, shift in the way of looking at the environment in a friendly manner. “Environment is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest, it is the one thing that all of us share”
The iron law of nature is; “Network or perish.”
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