Jakarta Globe Monday, April 6, 2009
Students Get Practical Lessons
In Ecological Responsibility
Fidelis E. Satriastanti
Life on earth could vanish be-
cause of global warming, and
there would be no more oxygen if
the atmosphere was destroyed,
Rika Rismawati said.
No, she isn't an environmental
scientist. She is a sixth-grader at
state elementary school SDN Tu-
lungrejo 3 in Batu municipality,
East Java Province.
SDN Tulungrejo 3 is one of 26
elementary schools in the munic-
ipality holding an ecology class
every Saturday, a subject being
tackled separately from the regu-
lar curriculum.
"If there is no longer any at-
mosphere, then the earth would
become too hot," Rika said during
a media visit at her school on
Thursday.
"If we learn to protect our for-
ests and carry out reforestation,
A6
then we'll be safe from global
warming," she added.
In 2003, Batu adopted what is
called "the green curriculum" by
incorporating topics on the envi-
ronment into elementary, junior
and senior high school curricu-
lums. To date, at least 26 of 85
schools in the municipality have
been holding ecological classes.
The other schools prefer to use
the regular integrated system -
where ecological issues are dis-
cussed under major subjects,
such as natural science, biology
or physics - because ofthe lack of
funds and of instructors who are
equipped to teach ecology as a
separate subject.
"We have stepped outside the
integrated system and now teach
green ecology separately," said
Prihastutik, the principal of SDN
Tulungrejo 3.
Some critics of the Saturday
classes say that tacklingthe envi-
Indonesia
'We have
stepped outside
the system and
nowteach
green ecology
separately'
Prihastutik, principal
ronment separately from the reg-
ular curriculum would only
strain the students. The ecology
classes run for an hour.
"I don't believe that's the case,"
Prihastutik said. "We have to
teach a self-development subject,
and teaching ecology is relevant
as it is practical."
Linda Putriana, a fifth-grader
at the same school, said that
learning about ecology was fun
because lessons were taught
through hands-on application.
She added that because class-
room sessions had them memo-
rizing simple topics, learningwas
made easier.
"It teaches us different things:
how to use the bathroom ecologi-
cally, to use bowls which are not
made of plastic and how to recy-
cle," Linda said. "I like the subject
because now our school is clean."
In their last session, the stu-
dents learned about seeding and
the importance of compost fertil-
izers for plants and trees.
"Reforestation can save the
earth because it will increase the
supply of oxygen," Rika said.
"This will also give rise to under-
ground springs, and we can make
money through the selective cut-
ting of trees."
Trihana Ningtyas, a fifth-
grade teacher, said it was a lot eas-
ier to teach kids to appreciate the
environment by giving them
practical examples.
At first, Trihana wasn't sure
what about the environment she
would teach the children, until
she decided to make a little ex-
periment with plastic.
"I made the kids soak plastic
and paper in water for a week just
to show them that plastic was in-
destructible," she said.
"At the end of the experiment,
I explained to them the danger of
irresponsibly disposing of mate-
rials made of plastic and how
they would destroy the environ-
ment," Trihana said. "Since then
they agreed to bringbowls made
of glass rather than those made
of plastic for their lunch, and
they stopped using plastic bags
when they bought something
from the canteen."