Environment issues should be taught at schools: Experts
Environment issues should be taught at schools: Experts
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Recent natural disasters should serve notice to the government of
the need to teach environmental awareness in schools, a seminar
concluded on Wednesday.
"In our daily life we do so many activities recklessly. For
example, we use hair spray without thinking that it will harm our
environment," Suhaenah Suparno, chairwoman of the Association of
Environmental and Demographic Education Enthusiasts and Experts,
told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the seminar.
The seminar featured a number of speakers, including former
minister of health Farid Anfasa Moeloek, a professor of herbal
medicine, Hembing, and the director general for elementary and
high school education at the Ministry of National Education,
Indrajati Sidi. The event was aimed at promoting the need for
environmental awareness in educational institutions, from
elementary schools to universities.
Indonesia experienced yet another natural disaster early last
week when floods and mudslides struck Flores island in East Nusa
Tenggara, killing at least 56 people. Landslides and floods have
also affected many other areas of the country.
During his presentation, Indrajati said the current national
curriculum could not afford to add more subjects. "Our children
already have to sit in classrooms for about 1,600 hours a year.
That number is the highest in the world. For example, children in
the United States only have to attend classes for 1,100 hours a
year."
Because of this, environmental education would have to be
included in current subjects or formulated as an extracurricular
program, he said.
"I hope that with our ongoing program -- the competency-based
curriculum -- teachers and schools can insert more practical
educational programs that support their current subjects," he
added.
The Ministry of National Education has introduced the concept
of competency-based curriculum (KBK) on a trial basis since last
year.
KBK allows students to study subjects not only in the
classroom. For example, in studying rivers, students not only
learn about the subject through textbooks but also through hands-
on experience. The ministry plans to begin implementing KBK on a
full-time basis in 2004.
Using an example, Indrajati said that when studying health,
teachers could introduce the aspect of environmental awareness by
taking students to Jakarta's vast dump in Bekasi, West Java, to
see how the capital manages the tons of garbage it produces.
"And we would have to design such programs to be as attractive
as possible, so the students will not be bored," he said.
He did not specify what immediate steps the ministry would
take to put such programs into action. All he would say was that
the ministry always encourages the implementation of more "fun"
lessons in the classroom.
He also said families and communities played an important role
in the education process. "So we have to allocate educational
tasks, what should be the responsibility of the families and what
of the community."