There is a simple lesson that is actually very important in daily\nlife: using water sufficiently. Simple examples include closing the tap\nafter washing hands, not leaving the water running while brushing teeth,\nreusing laundry water for certain purposes, immediately reporting\nleaking taps, or not taking excessively long showers.<\/p>\n
The problem is that these habits often remain merely as knowledge.\nChildren know that water must be saved, but they do not necessarily do\nit. Students may answer correctly when asked why water must be\npreserved, but they might still leave the tap open when leaving the\nbathroom.<\/p>\n
Education is not enough to make children know what is good, but it\nmust also shape the will and the habit to do what is good. Saving water\nis truly a concrete example of character education. It encompasses\nvalues of responsibility, discipline, care, cooperation, and the\nawareness that natural resources are not infinite.<\/p>\n
The OECD warns that environmental knowledge does not automatically\ntranslate into action. In various OECD countries, environmental\nawareness among students is relatively high, but the proportion of those\nwho actually take positive environmental action is much lower. Education\nshould help students move from awareness to action.<\/p>\n
From knowing to being habituated.<\/p>\n
A classic problem in character education is that students are too\noften taught values through words but are given fewer opportunities to\npractise them. Students are told that littering is bad. However, does\nthe school provide a system that makes them accustomed to sorting and\ndisposing of waste?<\/p>\n
Students are taught that water is very precious. However, have they\never calculated how much water the school uses in a single week? Have\nthey ever searched for a leaking tap? Have they ever made a water-saving\ncommitment together with their parents?<\/p>\n
From a social learning perspective, a child\u2019s behaviour develops\nthrough interaction with their social environment. This includes\nexamples seen from teachers, peers, parents, and the institutions where\nthey learn. Research on social learning among students in schools also\nshows the importance of the learning environment in shaping sustainable\nconsumption behaviour.<\/p>\n
What often arises is inconsistency. Teachers speak about saving\nwater, but allow school taps to leak. Schools put up \u2018Save Water\u2019\nposters, but the sanitation facilities are wasteful. In reality,\nstudents should learn from facts to form behaviour, not just from\nposters.<\/p>\n
In truth, schools can start with simple things. For example, every\nclass could have a \u2018water ambassador\u2019 tasked with reminding their\nclassmates. Students could perform tap inspections every morning.\nTeachers could ask students to record school water usage for one month.\nThe results could then be discussed in mathematics, science, social\nstudies, and even Indonesian language classes.<\/p>\n
In this way, water does not just become a topic in science class.\nWater becomes a context for cross-curricular learning as well as a\nmedium for character education.<\/p>\n
Best practices.<\/p>\n
One interesting example of best practice is Singapore. As a country\nwith limited water resources, Singapore does not treat water education\nas a momentary campaign. PUB, Singapore\u2019s national water agency, works\nwith schools and the Ministry of Education to introduce the water\njourney to students from an early age. The programme covers preschool,\nprimary school, secondary school, and even universities.<\/p>\n
In primary school, for instance, students can conduct a water audit.\nThey learn to observe and calculate water usage within the school\nenvironment. At other levels, students conduct field investigations and\nlearn how water is managed.<\/p>\n
The message is very simple: students are \u2018not just told that water is\nprecious; they are made to experience why water is precious\u2019. Such\npractices demonstrate that character education does not always have to\ntake the form of lectures on values. Values can grow through real\nexperience.<\/p>\n
Similar practices are found in Queensland, an Australian state. The\ngovernment provides a Waterwise Schools Toolkit that integrates water\nissues into various subjects. Students do not merely read about water,\nbut perform school water audits, investigate dripping taps, learn about\nthe water cycle, and examine sustainable water sources.<\/p>\n
The important lesson from these experiences is that water education\nbecomes more effective when schools serve as a laboratory for life.\nSchools should not only teach that \u2018water must be saved\u2019, but show how\nmuch water is used, where wastage occurs, and what can be done to reduce\nit.<\/p>\n
Students as agents of change for the family.<\/p>\n
Another equally important aspect is the relationship between school\nand home. Children spend part of their time at school, but habits are\nalso formed at home. Therefore, water-saving programmes in schools\nshould not stop at the school gates.<\/p>\n
Students can be given simple tasks: conducting a home water audit\nwith their parents. They can count how many taps are in the house, check\nfor leaks, observe family bathing habits, or see if water is used\nexcessively when washing vehicles. The task is not to blame parents;\nrather, children and parents are invited to become a single team to save\nwater.<\/p>\n
This approach has a strong foundation. Research on environmental\neducation in Palembang in 2025, for example, specifically examined the\nrelationship between environmental education and intergenerational\nknowledge transfer and household behaviour related to conservation.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/it-is-time-for-schools-to-shape-water-saving-habits-1789095531", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }