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."