Prasar Bharati moots Environmental Edu Movement

Bhopal, Apr 22: Prasar Bharati Member Sunil Kapoor today highlighted the need for a vigorous National Environmental Education Movement in India for a sustainable society.

''It should be an enduring vision of social and environmental justice that influences awareness today. Despite widespread water scarcity, deforestation, chaotic cities, pollution and global warming having transformed into everyday realities, environment education in schools and colleges is limited in content and reach,'' he said in a report entitled 'Environment Education for Sustainable Future'.

Claiming that a ''sudden information overload'' on environment conservation had left most well-intentioned school managements perplexed, Dr Kapoor added that -- as a result of Supreme Court directives -- most urban schools and colleges jumped on the green bandwagon, introducing environment education as an academic subject or as an extracurricular activity.

''Environment activists caution against haphazard and thoughtless introduction of environment education and advocate the creation of a non-government supervisory organisation, comprising reputed environmentalists and educationists, to draw up a proper environment curriculum and monitor its implementation,'' he explained.

The reality is that environmental issues cannot be taught in isolation as a 'science' or 'arts' subject. They are intimately connected with our social, political and economic policies.

Unfortunately, awareness of the environment and pollution as a holistic discipline is lacking in most curricula, Dr Kapoor felt.

''There are approximately 396 million boys and girls between 6-18 years in some seven million schools and colleges, most of them belonging to governments, and it has been observed that there is no uniformity about environmental course content,'' Dr Kapoor added. The prescribed topics in environment education might not help students in receiving real and practical knowledge about details covered under the subject, such as Environmental Impact Assessment, potable water and sanitation, segregation of municipal and domestic garbage into degradable and biodegradable waste, disposal and management of biomedical waste from hospitals and nursing homes, wildlife and ecotourism, air, water and noise pollution.

''Practicals related to warming, affect of pesticides etc should be taught in laboratories. The best way to create profound awareness in students about the importance of nature and natural surroundings is by encouraging them to maintain their own gardens, to plant and nurture trees and herbs on college campuses and homes,'' Dr Kapoor felt.

The pit in the way of this trendy subject is non-availability of teachers possessing knowledge and degrees in environemntal science.

The Government should take a decision to formulate a policy for training teachers in ecology, environment and sustainable management of natural resources, he suggested.

''The Supreme Court's observations in its 'green judgements' emphasising the importance of a clean and green environment and the need for environmental education in India has brought forth expected reactions,'' Dr Kapoor noted.

Post-independence, India was in the grip of poverty, hunger, ignorance and lack of shelter. Roti, kapda aur makaan were the basic priorities on which the entire attention of the Government and the people was focussed. Now is the time to think ahead. Besides complaince of environmental laws, there should be the political will and administrative will in our bureaucrats, he added.

UNI