STRENGTHENING OF

ENVIRONMENT
EDUCATION IN
PRIMARY SCHOOLS

V. Ramalingam
CPREEC Resource Person

INTRODUCTION:

The importance of
Environmental Education is
widely recognized all over the
world, it is yet to get its
rightful place in education.
For more than three decades
many attempts have been
made to impart Environment
Education, still there is no
proper solution.

To achieve the objectives

and goals of EE, many
organizations are involved
in environmental education
activities in India

In the Union Territory of Puducherry

Environmental Education cell (EEC)
functioning in the Directorate of School
Education is involved in E E activities
for the past two decades.

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Familiarisation with one's own body;

Awareness about immediate surroundings;

Need for food, water, air, shelter, clothing and recreation;
Importance of trees and plants;
Familiarisation with local birds, animals and other objects;
Interdependence of living and non-living things.
Importance of cleanliness and sanitation;
Importance of celebration of festivals and national days;
Awareness of sunlight, rain and wind;
Caring for pet animals;
Awareness about air, water, soil and noise pollution;
Need for the protection of environment;
Knowledge about the sources of energy;
Importance of the conservation of water resources and
forests; and
Indigenous and traditional knowledge about the protection of

environment.

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Awareness about immediate

surroundings
Need for food, water, air,
shelter, clothing and
recreation;

Interdependence of living and nonliving things.

Familiarisation with local birds,

animals and other objects;

Importance of trees and plants;

Importance of celebration of
festivals and national days

Need for the protection of environment;

Importance of cleanliness and

sanitation

Awareness about air, water,

soil and noise pollution;

Knowledge about the

sources of energy

Caring for pet animals

Awareness of sunlight, rain and wind

Importance of the conservation of

water resources and forests;

and
Indigenous and traditional knowledge
about the protection of environment.

Environmental education can be

thought of as comprising three
linked
components:
Education about the

environments (Knowledge).
Education for the environment
(Values, Attitudes & Positive
actions).
Education through the
environment

understanding of
The natural processes which take place in the
environment.
The impact of human activities on the environment.
The comparison between different environments both in the past
and present.

Environmental issues such as: (i) The greenhouse

effect. (ii) Acid rain and (iii) Air pollution.
Local, national and international legislative controls to
protect and manage the environment;
How policies and decisions are made about the
environment.
How human life and livelihood are dependent on the
environment.
The conflicts, which can arise about environmental
issues like river water sharing.
How the environment has been effected owing to past
decisions and actions.
The importance of planning and design and an esthetic

Skills:Six crosses curricular skills have been

identified which are necessary for
environmental education.
They are: Communication skills.
Numerical skills.
Study skills.
Problem solving skills.
Personal skills.
Social skills & information technology
skills.

Attitudes:-

Promoting positive attitudes towards the

environment is essential if pupils/students are to
value it and understand their role in
safeguarding it for the future.
Encouraging the development of attitudes in
personal qualities listed below will contribute to
the process.
Appreciations of care and concern for
environment.
Concern for other living things on earth.
Independent thought on environmental
issues.
Respect for others opinion.

ACTIVITIES OF THE school Ecoclubs

Participating in the camps ,

competitions, Awareness based
programmes and Action based
programmes

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Organising functions at
schools
during Environment related
Days
World Environment Day
Ozone Day
Wild Life week
National Environment Month
World Forest Day
Earth Day etc
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TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR

TEACHERS
ON
ENVORONMENTAL EDUCATION

A wide cross-section of people are

trained in conservation technologies,
management of natural resources and

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMMES
FOR CHILDREN

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PROGRAMMES INVOLVING CHILDREN

Environmental orientation to school
education
Video-on-wheels
National Green Corps
On line Quiz programme
Bio Register
Surveys
Tree planting
Cleaning Campaigns
Short Trips to the nature spots etc
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Awareness raising programmes

Rallies
Campaigns
Field Visits
Exhibitions

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Painting, Essay & Quiz

Competitions

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Eco Exhibitions organised in a school

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anising Field Visits to the nature spo

Groups of children are taken for green walks to
get exposed to different types of local ecosystems
like

sacred groves

zoo
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Activity based programmes

Tree plantations
Vermi composting
Kitchen garden
Herbal Garden
Wealth from waste
Adopt -a- tree programme

Adopting public places

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Nursary Raising
EEC of Puducherry prepares nursery
Saplings every year and distribute
them freely in collaboration with
Esha Foundation

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Downloading of Saplings to make the School Gree

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Mass Tree Planting Programme

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HERBAL GARDEN IN SCHOOLS

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THE CLEANING PROGRAMME

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WATER TESTING
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Solid waste Management in a Primary School

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LEAF ACTIVITY

GREENING THE SCHOOL CAMPUS

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EST Green School Selection Team

isited to a school
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POPULARISATION OF GIS AT THE SCHOOL LEVE

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MAPPING
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WILD-LIFE TOUR

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FOREST TRECKING

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National
Environmental
Awareness
Campaign
(NEAC):

NEAC is being organized every year by

the Ministry of Forest and Environment
through the Nodal Agency CPREEC
Chennai. In this scheme, schools in
Puducherry actively taking part in the
awareness and action campaign based on
the theme announced by Union Ministry
of Forest and Environment. Great number
of teacher, students and public are given
exposure on Environmental Education.
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Anti Plastic awareness campaign

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Maintanance
of
Local
Biodiversity Register:
Village Bio diversity Register
was
enumerated
and
all
biodiversity of their locality was
entered in the register.

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Bio Diversity

Data Collected by Students

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Additional suggested
Activities:
To achieve the goals and
objectives of Environmental
Education the following activities
may be carried out in the schools

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EE - Problem-Solving GAMES
To provide opportunities to the
students to have a thorough
knowledge about the particular
issue or problem and acquire
problem solving skills

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Installing green bulletin

This may be done using school
Board:

wall

space in a prominent place various

Environmental posters, charts

could be displayed from time to
time for the benefits of children.
Activities, competition results,
poems,
drawing
may
be
displayed.
They
become
effective communication media
for eco-based messages.
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School Green activities

A) School with space: Students
should be encouraged to collect seeds of
local trees and nursery can be raised.

The prepared tree saplings can be

used for greening campus. Excess
of sapling can be shared to needy
school or distributed to the
students to plant in their houses
or even raise funds by selling
them to forest department
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Schools without enough

space: They can maintain
tuboponic Environmental
Education s by using big
bamboo tubes or plastic tubes.
They also maintain potted

plants. Hanging, terrous

garden etc.

Tree adoption:
Children can adopt a tree sapling and
maintain during the period of study in the
school. Successful students can be given
green certificate.

Maintainance of public place :

Group of children may be asked to
maintain and care the plants in
public place parks or gardens
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Organising visits to
environmentally important
sites:
During the vacation time Eco-tours can
be organized by the teacher. They can
visits
wildlife parks, zoos, sanctuaries,
museum,
sand dunes,
coastal vegetation,
mangrove forests,
sacred groves etc and gather
information.

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Organising energy saving or

water saving campaigns
Best eco club award

Best Green Student Award

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The suggested environmental

activities will surely help to achieve
the goals and objectives of
Environment Education to the
students and public, provided the
attitude of inspecting officials / Head
of Institutions and Teachers should
change so as to create a lot of
opportunities for children in schools to
think and analyse the problems and
issues.
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THANK YOU

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