Environmental Education in School System

1
Environmental Education in School System

• A sub-component of the World Bank supported
  project under India Environment Management
  Capacity Building project

2
About the Project

• The World Bank is supporting this initiative.
• Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt.
  of India, is the implementing the project.
• Centre for Environment Education is helping MoEF
  in the implementation of this sub-component of
  the project.

3
The Genesis

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development and
  Ministry of Environment and Forests have both
  been looking to ways to strengthen EE in schools.
• Greening Formal Education was a concept paper
  which looked at the status of EE and recommended
  how to strengthen it. This was adopted at the
  meeting of Education Ministers.
• Subsequent to this, MoEF put up the
  implementation of this as part of the World Bank
  Project.

4
Objectives

• To strengthen environmental education(EE) in
• school system through the following
• Strengthening infusion of EE
• Creating a separate space and time for
  environment at the middle and high school level.
• Teacher training for effective EE
• Use of non-formal methods and pilot
  implementation of this in one selected state.
• This is being carried out in two phases.

5
Phases

• Phase I involved a study of the status of EE in
  the country, and participatory processes to
  discuss strengthening of EE in Schools
• Phase II involves pilot implementation of the
  plan in 8 states.

6
Project Guidance

• A National Steering Committee, comprising of
  MoEF, MHRD, NCERT, NCTE, key NGOs and experts,
  was set up to guide Phase I.

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Steering Committee

• Special Secretary, MOEF, Govt. Of India
• Joint Secretary, MHRD, Govt. of India
• Director, NCERT
• Director, NCTE
• Director, NIEPA

• Director, CEE
• Director, CPR EEC
• Shri Lalit Pande, Uttarkhand Seva Nidhi
• Shri Vinod Raina
• Director (EE), MOEF
• Dy. Director , MOEF

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Activities InvolvedPhase I

• Phase I involved
• Study of the Status of EE in schools, including
  status of infusion of environmental concepts in
  the curriculum, the teaching methodologies and
  barriers to effective EE.
• A National Consultation on EE in the school
  system

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Phase I Study of Status of EE in school system

• The study was contracted to and done by BVIEER
• The salient features of the study
• Curriculum analysis of textbooks of all States
• Examination of lessons in over 1000 textbooks
  from the perspective of environmental content
  contained in text, visuals, questions, activities
  in each

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Phase I Study of Status of EE in school system

• Methodology involves taking the lesson as the
  smallest unit. Each lesson is analysed.
• The analysis of lesson matrices are compiled and
  interpreted to give
• Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
• Subject and Standard based Analysis
• Spreadsheets depicting details and presence of
  environmental concepts

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Phase I Study of Teaching of EE

• BVIEER also undertook a study to analyse the
  teaching of environmental concepts in the
  classroom, the barriers, availability of EE
  resource materials, etc.
• Methodology
• Taking a small sample of schools, across 10
  states, across a variety of schools
• Questionnaires, Semi-structured interviews, Group
  discussion, Workshop session, etc
• Teachers, students, school administrations, NGOs,
  State Depts. and their organizations were met.

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Phase I National Consultation

• National Consultation was organized as a process
  for facilitating inputs from a range of experts
  in providing guidelines for strengthening EE in
  the school system in the country

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Phase I National Consultation (Contd..)

• National Consultation Participation
• Involved coming together of various experts and
  stakeholders, including
• Ministry of Environment Forests
• Ministry of Human Resource Development
• 16 State Department of Education
• State level environmental bodies
• Educational Institutions, NGOs
• Universities, academic institutions, schools, etc

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Phase II

• Phase II involves the pilot implementation of the
  programme in 8 states. Based on the studies and
  processes of Phase I, the guiding principles are
  that
• - environment should not be a separate subject
• - introduction of environmental concepts should
  not constitute any perceptible additionality of
  hours
• - practical, hands-on activities, field
  experiences, work experience etc. are important
  components of EE

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Phase II

• Within these parameters, this phase includes
  bringing in four major components in each of the
  8 selected states
• Strengthening Infusion of Environmental content
• Creating a separate time and space for
  environment
• Teacher Training
• Use of non-formal methods

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Phase II

• Phase II will involve pilot implementation of the
  programme in 100 selected schools in each of the
  selected 8 states.

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Activities Involved Phase II Major Elements

• Development of statewise programmes, materials
  and plans for pilot implementation
• Pilot implementation in the selected schools in
  each state
• Widespread sharing and use of research results
  and studies of Phase I