L UU.., F - I | I ! BOTSWANA a National Planning C "Nernc

L UU.., f - I | I ! BOTSWANA A National Planning C "nernc

!dO

44 Environmental Education in Botswana

A National Planning Conference

7th October to 11 th October, 1991 Gaborone

Edited by M Cantrell and M Nganunu

1992

"Toward better quality of environment and education" This publication results from a National Planning Conference on Environmental Education held in Botswana 7-11 October 1991, organised jointly by the the Ministry of Education of the Govern ment of Botswana, the University of Botswana, and the Kalahari Conservation Society, with support from the Swedish Internationpl Development Authority (SIDA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Copies of this report and further information can be obtained from the Kalalhari Conservation Society P 0 Box 859 Gaborone, Botswana

ISBN 99912- 0-070- 3

Credits

Assistant editing, design and layout: Sarah Anne Hughes Photographs: James Downey and Kagiso Keatimliwe Printing: Printing and Publishing Company Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Gaborone

The production of this report is financed through the Swedish International Development Authority.

The printing of this report is financed jointly through the Natural Resources Management Programme of USAID Botswana, Project Number 690-0251.33 and by the Swedish International Development Authority Contents

Preface 1 Introduction 2 Objectives 2 Organisation 4 Programme 6 Overview of conference proceedings 8 Environmental background information 8 Environmental education background information 9 Current status of environmental education in Botswana and planned developments for the future 10 Primary education 10 Secondary education 11 Tertiary education 13 Non-formal education 15 Recommendations 16 How to proceed 19 Acknowledgements 20

Annex 1 Conference plenary papers 23 Annex 2 Conference workshop papers 91 Annex 3 Participants 147 Annex 4 Abbreviations 149 Preface

Along with worldwide economic growth and joint effort of both Government and Non- technological development has come environ- Governmental Organlsatlons. Amajor objective ment il destruction and decay. Damage to of the Conference was therefore to bring to essential resources of air, soil and water now gether all those who have a role to play in the threatens life on Earth. Increasing human provision of environmental education in Bot populations and increasing demand has led to swana. pressure on resources-where the human de- It was in this spirit of cooperation that the mand has exceeded nature's yield of renewable Conference was planned and organised. My natural resources, overgrazing, desertification sincere thanks go the University of Botswana and extinction of wildlife has resulted. Ter'hno- and the Kalahari Conservation Society for logical progress has brought pollution and in joining my Ministry in organising this Confer some cases, irreversible damage to the environ- ence. This I hope is only the starting point for ment. By depleting and destroying our natural continued consultation and cooperation. I also resources we are reducing the quality of life for wish to thank the international organisations subsequent generations. who provided financial and professional support Aware of some negative consequences of and to the local and visiting resource people development, the Botswana Government has who have prompted us into taking action. joined in the world-wide effort to combat these The Ministry of Education regards environ problems. A National Conservation Strategy has mental education as a priority issue and the been developed and apprcved by Parliament and recommendations from this Conference will be an Agency has been set up in the Ministry of most useful in drawing up a plan of action. My Local Government, Lands and Housing to en- Ministry accepts that it has an important role in sure the strategy is implemented. coordinating and promoting environmental Education is one of the key components in education in the country. This includes incorpo the National Conservation Strategy and this rating and strengthening environmental educa Conference is a first initiative to start the plan- tion at all levels of the education system and ning process for environmental education. Here working closely with other organisations, gov we refer not only to environmental education ernmental and non-governmental, to provide for school children, but for the whole popula- environmental education fo' all. tion-a task that can only be achieved through a //

i" (" ' The Honourable M R Molomo Minister of Education

1 ANational Planning Conference Introduction

The National Planning Conference for Envi- * Repeated calls from International ronmental Education organisa which took place at the tions such as UNESCO, WWF, University and IUCN to of Botswana from 7-11 October 1991 take up the challenge was of environmental the outcome of several developments in education in Botswana. Botswana: The Ministry of The adoption of the National Education, the University of Conservation Botswana and the Kalahari Conservation Society Strategy in December 1990 when Govern- took up the initiative to bring together ment committed itself all to certain strategic parties concerned with aspects of environmental measures to achieve its goal of sustainable education, its coordination and expansion in development. One of these is to create an Botswana. Such a co-operative effort by awareness amongst the Batswana of how to three organisations would also alert achieve sustainable decision development. makers to the importance of environmental education to effect lasting development. " The start of several projects !ndependantly in the field of environmental education made it clear that some means of coordination had to be established.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the conference * to identify constraints were: to the Improvement of environmental education in each sector. " to provide background information on 9 co evaluate further training needs. environmental education in general, the World Conservation Strategy, the National a to evaluate research needs. Conservation Strategy, and environmental problems both worldwide and in Botswana. * to evaluate coordination needs. " to review the position of environmental a to draft an action plan. education in all sectors of education in Botswana today and to generate recommen dations for the future.

Environmental Education 2 :.A nr~

The Honourable Mr D N Magang delivering his Prof T Tlou (left), The Honourable Mr D N Magang opening address and Mr P0 Molosi at the opening ceremonies

In his opening speech, the Assistant Minister In welcoming the participants, the Vice- for Ministry of Finance and Development Plan- Chancellor of the University of Botswana Prof T ning, the Honourable Mr D N Magang con- Tlou, said that the National Planning Confer firmed Government's commitment to achieve ence on Environmental Education is a truly sustainable development in order to protect the momentous occasion for the University of environment for future generations. Short-term Botswana, especially since the country had not gain at the expense of a polluted and degraded long ago adopted a policy on conservation. He environment would benefit no one in the long stressed his strong belief that the University had run. The role of education was to produce skilled an important role to play in interacting with and dedicated citizens who were willing to work society to tackle the burning issues of the day. individually and collectively to achieve and maintain a dynamic equilibrium between the quality of life and the environment. This, he stressed, requires the combined and coordinated effort of many Governmental and non govern mental organisations.

3 ANational Planning Conference Conference organisation

Accepting that environmental education Overall about 200 people attended parts of the should be directed to all citizens of Botswana, conference and about 120 attended actively the organisers were confronted with the difficult throughout. task of organising a conference for all sectors- From an organisational point of view the formal, non formal, and informal with a role to conference was divided in five types of activities: play in environmental education. In addition to the coordinators from the three organsing * plenary sessions where a number of papers bodies the planning committee included a were presented and followed by number discussions. of other key individuals including one These presentations provided background from the government department responsible information on the environment and on for the implementation of the National Conser- environmental education both worldwide vation Strategy. and in Botswana. Participants were invited from various train ing institutions such as primary, secondary, * discussion sessions in which the participants teacher training, vocational, technical and split up into groups to discuss specific aspects university. Several Ministry of Education Depart- of environmental education. ments were represented including tile Curricu lum Development Unit and Non-Formal Educa- * workshop sessions during which the partici tion Department, as well as all Ministries and pants split up into groups representing private organisations involved in environmental different sectors of education. Each workshop issues. These included the National Conserva- aimed at reviewing the position of environ tion Strategy Agency, Department of National mental education in Botswana and at gener Parks and Wildlife, Chobe Wildlife Trust, the ating recommendations for the future. In the Forestry Association. Participants were therefore workshops tile emphasis was on small group drawn from a wide spectrum of interests- discussions, but some papers were also pre educationists, conservationists, environmental sented. scientists, policy makers, politicians and teach ers. Afull list is provided in Annex 3. * opening and closing sessions with invited A number of international organisations dignitaries including the Assistant Minister of engaged in environmental education were also Finance and Development Planning, the Vice invited and both the United Nations Environ- Chancellor of the University of Botswana, the ment Programme (UNIP) in Nairobi and Worla Permanent Secretary and the Deputy Perma Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Switzerland nent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, sent resource people. The World Conservation and the Chairman of the Kalahari Conserva Union (IUCN) which has an office in Gaborone, tion Society. provided professional expertise both in the planning and running of the conference. ° an evening programme which was open to With the support of the main sponsors of the the public with displays by national and conference-SIDA, USAII), and UNESCO-some international environmental related organisa resource people from nearby African countries tions; books and teaching aids for environ were invited, particularly observers from the mental education, live drama performances neighbouring Southern African l)evelopment and puppet shows and various film shows. Community (SAI)C) countries. Alarge number of local resource people were Aspecial feature on the programme was a Involved representing a wide range of depart- satellite lecture and discussion with environ ments and organisations. The names of all mental education experts in the United States, resource people, local and from further afield, made possible through the assistance of the are cited In the acknowledgements section.

Environmental Education 4 ~7-f

Delegates participating in one of the discussion involved. Those responsible were highly periods following aplenary paper. commended by participants for their efforts and are acknowledged later in the text. The Conference was fortunate to have access United States Information Service in Gaborone. to the facilities in Faculty of Science at the Planning took place over a number of University for the conference including a large months and a series of sub-committees were set auditorium for plenary sessions, a number of up to deal with a host of issues both logistical smaller auditoriums for workshops, several small and educational. The immense task of organis- rooms for groupwork, iid space for exhibitions ing and running a conf- rence of this size is and open air theatre. Meals and refreshments difficult to comprehend unless one has been were also provided there.

5 ANational Planning Conference Programme

Monday 7th October Thursday 10 October 11.00 Registration Chair: Mr. L. Gleeson 14.30 Opening Ceremony 8.00 Planning for Educational Education Chair: Mr. P. 0. Molosi Mr. A. Scott, WWF Representative Welcome Prof T Tiou Experiences with EE In Primary Education Official Opening of Conference in Botswana Ms. S. Shaw The Honourable D N Magang, Assistant An overview of Non-Formal EE In Botswana Minister of Finance and Development Mr. N. Tau Planning 10.00 Tea Vote of Thanks Mr T Vanqa 10.30 Workshop Sessions I1 15.00 Tea 12.30 Lunch Chair: Dr T T Mokoena 14.30 Workshop Sessions II continued 15.30 Global Environmental Issues 15.30 Tea Mr D P Rychner, iUCN Representative 16.00 Workshop Sessions IIcontinued Overview of Environmental Problems 19.00 Evening Programme and Opportunities in Botswana Dr P Shaw Cocktai! Party Friday 11 October 19.00 Evening Programme Chair: Mr. N. Hunter 8.00 Tuesday 8th October Presentation of Recommendations Primary Education Ms. P. Moanakwena Chair: Mr. P.T. Ramatsul Secondary Education Ms. M. Nganunu 8.00 Environmental Activities In Botswana Tertiary Education Dr. M. Cantrell Mr. S. Liphuko Non-Formal Education Mr. P. Hancock Linkages Between Development and Chair Mr P. V. Sephuma Environment Dr. S. Cooper 11.30 How to Proceed Mr R.Stronkhorsi 10.00 Tea 12.00 Closing of Conference Mr I Nchindo 10.30 Song Vote of Thanks Dr M A Cantrell Environmental Education for Sustainable 12.30 Lunch Development Mr U Carlsson, UNEP Representative Departure or excursion Environmental Education : Implications for Education Dr M Monroe Normal Evening Programme 12.30 Lunch Monday, Tuesday,Thursday from 19.00- 21.00 Chair: Dr K Frimpong Wednesday 14.30 Aspects of EE for discussion. Group from 18.00- 20.00 for invitees only discus National Conservation Strategy video in English and sions followed by a plenary session and Setswana discussion Videos useful for Environmental Education 15.00 Tea Environmental Education material 15.30 Experiences with EE in other countries Displays by Environmental Education related organi- Dr IAllen and Dr KKoech sations in Botswana !9.00 Evening Programme Displays of books relevant for EE publishers Displays of environmental projects and related Wednesday, 9th October organisations in Botswana Chair Mr. F. M. Mawela Displays from UNEP, IUCN, WWF 8.00 Curriculum Development in EE In Poster sessions on Environmetal issues, legislation, Botswana Ms. Leburu impact assessment and monitoring Teaching Methods for EE in Formal Education of the environment in Botswana Dr. M. Monroe and Mr. U. Carlsson Department of Environmental 10.00 Tea Science-Open House Special Evening Programme Tuesday and Thursday 10.30 Workshop Sessions I from 19.00 - 21.00: 12.30 Lunch Environment related play by Reetsanang 14.30 Workshop Sessions Icontinued Environment related puppet show by IUCN 15.30 Tea 16.00 Workshop Sessions Icontinued 18.00 Cocktail Party

Environmental Education 6 Primary Education-Work Session I Tertiary Education-Workshop Session I Chair: Mr. L. Kopong Chair: Professor C. Wilkinson 10.30 Current Experiences in Active Environmental 10.30 Existing and planned EE activities in: Health Education at Mochudi Education Centre using the Education Mr. S.Goma Child's Experience Mr. T. Platte Vocational Education Mr. B.Swallender Group discussion on the Primary School Syllabus/ 12.30 Lunch Relationship with EE Chair: Professor R.Silltshena 12.30 Lunch Existing and Planned EE Activities In: Technical Chair: Mr. M. Masisi Education Mr. S.Manchisand Univeristy Educa Experiences with pre-and in-service training in tion Mr. 0. Totolo Swaziland Dr. I. Allen. 15.30 Tea Implications for Implementation of EE in primary 16.00 Curriculum flexibility and EE Dr. T. Mokoena schools in the Light of Experiences with other 16.45 Experiences with EE In Tertiary Education In MoE initiatives such as in-service training and pre- Kenya Dr. K. Koech service training Mr. L.Kopong. Workshop Session II Workshop Session II Chair: Dr. J.Dubbey Chair: Ms. F. Leburu 10.30 What We would like to Achive with EE In: 10.30 Relevant Experiences in Implcmetlng EE in Health Education, Agriculture Education, Techni Eastern and Southern Africa Mr. R. Lumbe (UNEP) cal Education, Vocational Education, University and Mr M Sichilongo (Zambia) Education. Sessions have short introduction Group discussion on the Theme lessons for Botswana followed by group work and plenary report back followed by plenary session. 12.30 Lunch 12.30 Lunch Chair: Professor developments in: Health Education, Chair: Mr. J. Butale Agriculture Education, Technical Iducatlon, 14.30 Group discussion to formulate a frame-workfor Vocational Education, University Education. improving development of EE all the Primary Level Sessions have introduction followed by group Plenary session for groups to report back and work and plenary report back formulate recommendations. Nonformal Education-Workshop Session I Secondary Education-Workshop Session I Chair: Mr. N.Tau Chair: Professor A. Taiwo 10.30 The Role of Government Departments In Non- 10.30 Overview of status of EE in current curricular Formal EE Mr. S.Sekhobo and examinations in Secondary Fducation Ms. S. The Role of NGOs in Non Formal EE Mr. P. Hancock Makgothi, Mr. C Matlare, Mr. P. Richard and Ms. 12.30 Lunch F.Stoneham Chair: Mr. P. Hancock EE in Junior and Senior Secondary Schools at present 14.30 The Role of the Media In EEMr. T. Mbuya Mr. D. Marsiand Group discussions 12.30 Lunch 16.00 Tea Chair: l)r. M. Monroe 16.15 Report back 14.30 Preparations for satellite lecture/discussion Guidelines for developing Non Formal Education Programmes, Mr. U. Carlsson, UNEP Representa Workshop Session 11 tive Chair: Mr. A. Makgothi 10.30 LE in Teacher Education for Secondary Schools Workshop Session II in Botswana, Now and in the Future Mr. R.J. Chair: Ms. S.Seisa Stronkhort 10.30 Evaluation of Non Formal EE Dr M Monroe What would we like to achieve with EE in Secondary Working Groups to Evaluate Existing Non Formal Education Education Programmes Working Groups to Group discussion on the same theme conduct Needs Analysis 12.30 Lunch 12.30 Lunch Chair: Mrs. I. M. Kwape Chair: Mr. M. Mpotokwane 14.30 Summary session with group discussion to 14.30 Working groups develop strategies for meeting formulate recommendations In curriculum, identified needs/developing action plans schools and teacher education 15.30 Tea 16.00 Report back by Working Groups Recommendations

7 A National Planning Conference Overview of conference proceedings

Overview of global and national ity implies environmental the existence of a maximum rate of issues-K Keatimilwe resource consumption To set the scene and waste discharge that for later plenary and work- can be sustained indefinitely shop discussions, without impairing l)r S Cooper, Professor P. ecological productivity. Shaw, Mr S Liphuko, It is important to and Mr D Rychner were appreciate that carrying capacity called upon to describe is determined pressing environmental by the single vital resource Issues at global and in least supply rather national level, than by the shortage of The issues covered all resources. at the global level include The limitations on increases in temperature, resource use imposed by the overuse of chemi- Botswana's harsh environment cals, the such as poor depletion of the ozone layer, and the soils, high temperatures, destruction fragile grazing lands, of tropical forests. In Botswana, the and iack of sufficient issues of water must be understood major concern affect water, rangeland, as they adversely wood, affect sustainable develop wildlife, pollution, population and veld ment. Environmental products. problems arise when these contraints are ignored The environmental in preference for problems discussed fell short term benefits which, into in fact, have long two categories; those arising from pressure term costs. on resources such as overgrazing and those from Preference for short term development such benefits also threat as pollution. While it is ens the survival of plant difficult to establish and animal species a strict dichotomy between which constitute ecological urban and systems. Ecological rural problems, pressure on resources systems are important is largely rural, while development because of the interde problems pendence between the natural environment, from pollution are essentially urban, human life and economic development. Prospects for tile solution of environmental Finally, the principle of sustainable problems at the global le.'el develop were not good (as ment suggests that equity between illustrated by increasing generations social and economic and social groups, and selfdetermination problems). However, several are speakers felt that in important pre-requisites for Botswana ensuring that devel the problems were potentially man- opment is attained. ageable due to the small population and the country's economic viability. It was noted that Current environmental initiatives environmental problems were likely to be The most important response sign-ificantly greater in future to global due to the in- problems to date is probably the 1987 creasing human population. report of the World Commission on Environment Three major themes and emerged from the discus- Development which defined sions of the broad a broad consensus environmental issues. These over major issues. Currently, themes a number of were the concept of sustainable develop- initiatives including ment, current the Montreal Protocol, environmental initiatives, and Caring for the Earth, required action and the Global Environ for the sustainable use of re- ment Facility have sources, been initiated and address climate change, bio-diversity and ozone layer The principle of sustainable development depletion. Within Botswana, the Government is in the Central to all four presentations was the process of establishing conservation institutions principle of 'sustainable development'. Trans- in the form of a Natural Resources Board and a lated into simple terms, the concept means that secretariat as part of the implementation of the our generation should use no more than the National Conservation Strategy (NCS). In future annual yield of renewable natural resources so it Is envisaged that Environmental Liaison that future generations may have access to Officers will be appointed in government minis stocks similar to those currently available, tries to ensure that the policies of the various The closely allied concept of carrying capac- ministries conform to the requirement of the

Environmental Education 8 WL

Delegates discussed issues in greater depth in work establishment of standards and regulations, as groups. well as the use of fiscal benefits and penalties ..... _ where necessary were also strongly advocated. increased NCS. In addition, two statutes are envisaged. Following this line of thought, the was The first will establish the Board and its secre- use of environmetal impact assessment tariat, and the second will introduce the notion essential to identify, predict, and mitigate of compulsory environmental impact assess- impacts. I-conomic diversification and its since ments for all major projects. concomitdnt benefits was also urged The NCS will also implement projects cover- people could only participate effectively in ing sectors such as forestry, veld products, conservation if they were part of the process and wildlife, and land rehabilitiation. Activities gained from it. currently being undertaken by other Govern ment Departments include the formulation of Background information on environmental policies on tourism, agriculture, and wildlife as education-R Stronkhorst have fol well as the improvement of sanitation under the National Conservation strategies World Conserva- Accelerated Land Servicing Programme. More lowed in the wake of IUCN's the need needs to be done, such as in the area of solid tion Strategy of 1980. These emphasise effect waste management and the management of for sound environmental education to Central to grazing land. Political will and financial invest- change in attitudes and behaviour. should stress ment is required to achieve the goals of the NCS. the strategies is that education 'sustainable development'. This implies that Required action certain qualitics or values of the environment All four speakers suggested that a chenge in should be taught and safeguarded. can be attitude towards the use and conservation of Four basic values of the environment resources was required at all levels of Botswana d'stinguished: society. This needed to be reflected in individual behaviour as well as a societal environmental * Utilization Value-The Earth's resources form development conscience. While education was considered the basis for our (economic) fundamental to effect change in attitude, the (used in production processes). a Security Value-Thc Farth provides safe 9 ANational Planning Conference places where mankind can live and enjoy life. Another important " Health Value-Mankind aspect is to provide skills requires an unpol- with which people can investigate luted and stable environment and evaluate to be able to environmental problems and undertake sustain Itself. appro priate action within their community. " The Diversity Value-The natural inforina- It is Important therefore that environmental educa tion (contained in the gene pools) of the tion Is participatory and focuses on the earth's biota is crucial for local the sustainability of environmental problems, be they life on this planet. This can only around the be achieved school, village or community since that through maintaining Is where nature's diversity, change should take place. Effective environmental Development can only be sustainable education demands if the much from those who teach it: school teachers, environmental problems It creates are not lecturers, extension workers, education carried and magnified into officers the future or copied and others. Training of these by others. educators therefore In other words, sustainable develop- is a paramount ment also means solidarity importance. and a common To develop an effective programme appreciation of the values in Bot mentioned above by swana requires careful planning all inhabitants of the planet. and coordina Clearly this Is an tion and should be based on enormous task and environmental experiences else education Is where. The planning conference only one of the measures Is the first and necessary to gain a major step in the right consensus to protect direction, focusing as It planet earth, does on working "Toward As Carlsson pointed Better Quality of out in one of the plenary Environment and Education" sessions, UNESCO-UNEP launched its Interna tional Environmental Education Programme in The current status 1975 and of environmental this was later followed in 1987 by its education in Botswana International Strategy and planned for Action in the Field of developments for the future Environmental Education and Training for the This section reviews current initiatives 1990s. In these programmes the principle in of environmental education at different levels sustainable development already of mentioned has the educational system and the activities been translated into educational goals, the most planned for the future. general and one used thoughout the world as a guide for curriculum development and research Primary being education-P Moanakwena Discussions in the Primary Education "to aid dtizens in becoming Work environmen- shop focused on three topics, namely: tally knowledgeable and above all, skilled, dedicated and willing to work individually and 9 Current experiences In environmental collectively educa toward achieving and maintaining a tion in dynamic equilibrium between Botswana. quality of life and • Pre- and in-service training; quality of the environment" implications for implementation of environmental Further detailed education educational goals and objec- in primary schools. tives with regard to knowledge, skills and atti- • Relevant experiences in implementing tudes have been developed from this envi basis. ronmental education In Eastern and These Southern provide a useful starting point for envi- Africa. ronmental education in Botswana and can then be adapted to the country's specific situation The first topic was addressed and Its modes of delivery by members of within formal and the environmental education non-formal education, Advisory Commit tee of the Mochudi Education Centre, one of an The ultimate goal must be to foster a univer- Increasing number of regional education sal environmental ethnic in which centres citizens unite in the country. The Committee works in a common cause according to with the slogan primary schools in the Kgatleng district "Think Globally, Act Locally". and offers advice and resources to teachers. Providing Information and Activities equipping man- in schools are initiated by the teachers kind with knowledge is clearly important them to selves according to individual needs. The effect changes in personal behaviour com towards mittee then helps teachers plan activities the environment. However, beliefs, while attitudes and the Education Centre also offers resouice values are equally important determiners materi of als in its library which teachers can use. The behaviour. Environmental education pro- Centre has set aside one day in the grammes which week for does not cater for this through visits from schools. incorporating elements of moral or value educa- The location of the Centre along the tion are unlikely to be effective. banks of Notwane River makes it Ideal for environmental

Environmental Education 10 education activities. While at the Centre, pupils secondary, and a newsletter for the communi experience hands-on activities which continue ties. Radio was seen as a useful medium for the to evolve as more groups attend. Decision- dissemination of information, with programmes making and problem-solving are major skills directed to both school and out of school that are encouraged in the pupils, populations. Although the presentation was meant to The value of the local Gaborone Game Re generate discussion, it turned out that most of serve as a resource for extra-curricular activities workshop participants had not experienced the was presented by Mrs D McColaugh. A guide environmental education programme at the book is currently being prepared which can be Mochudi Education Centre and were therefore used by teachers and pupils. more interested in learning about the activities of the Mochudi Group. Secondary education-M Nganunu The need for a comprehensive training The three presentations in the secondary programme was omphasized in the next talk by workshop covered the inclusion of environmen Dr Irma Allen of the Ministry of Education in tal issues in existing syllabi and examinations, Swaziland. In her presentation she outlined the the teachers' interpretation of this, and the role scope for pre- and in-service training to enable of pre- and in-service teacher training in this teachers to integrate concepts of environmental process. These topics then formed the basic for education in their teaching. With clearly stated evaluation, discussion and proposals for new objectives, the concepts can be integrated into strategies. Through small group discussions, the existing curriculum, although teachers need recommendations were phrased to suggest the training in techniques of integration for teach- way forward. ing and learning. A prerequisite for effective in- AMinistry of Education team of Ms S service training was an organisational structure Makgothi, Ms F Stoneham, Mr P Richard and Mr through which this can be achieved. The multi- C Matlhare, representing a range of sublect plier effect, whereby training filters from a areas, presented a joint paper on the present national group of trainers to the rest of the status of environmental education In curricula teachers seems to be the most effective structure and examinations. In Social Studies, Integrated to use. Science and Agriculture a number of topics on This approach is not without its problems as the syllabi can be identified as environmental there are often no Incentives for experienced Issues, both at junior and senior secondary teachers to volunteer as ii,-service trainers. As school. It was also pointed out by the presenters with other inn ovations, the use of the multiplier that the integrated nature of the subjects Social effect to reach large numbers of teachers needs Studies and Integrated Science facilitates the careful monitoring. incorporation of environmental Issues which in Still within the framework of pre- and in- themselves are integrated. service training, Mr L Kopong led the group in a Since environmental education is not treated discussion on the implications of implementing as a separate subject in the curriculum, there Is envi'nnmental education in the light of other no special provision for it in the examination. Ministry of Education initiatives. Here, the need However, any topic that is on a sylldbus, includ for coordination between the different depart- ing environmental topics, can be examined ments in education was emphasised. It was felt using the form of assessment for that subject. that aspects of environmental education need to The pr2senters concluded that the curriculum be addressed by all educators in the country does cover an extensive amount of content although the priorities of different groups would about the environment but lacked an emphasis differ. An effective network to facilitate commu- on special issues such as application of nication was essential and would do much to knowlege, practical work and developing posi curb problems such as duplication of effort and tive attitudes towards environmental Issues. wastage of resources. Overloaded curricula, lack of time for pupil Mr R Lumbe from UNEIP and Mr M involvement, large class sizes, and the examina Sichilongo of Zambia made presentations of tion system were raised as constraints during the regional interest and guided discussions on the discussions. Suggested solutions included involvement of non-governmental organisations cutting gut topics f;om the syllabus which were in environmental education. Yhrough the efforts less relevant, bc'ter coordination between cur of clubs such as Girl Guides, Red Cross, Young riculum developers to avoid syllabus overlap, .omen Christian Association, and Wildlife and teaching more skills and less content. It was CI ibs, pamphlets and magazines have been pointed out that knowledge is changing fast and cculated among communities to raise environ- rather than load syllabi with the 'today's knowl mental awareness. In Zambia, the Chongololo edge' more self-study skills should be taught to Clubs produce magazines for upper and junior prepare students for 'knowledge of tomorrow.'

11 A National Planning Conference Evening events for the general public included a provide ideal topics for debating, though much puppet show highlighting environmental issues depends on the intiative of the individual teacher. Here, national coordination The issue on wlether or not environmental and en couragement was needed to ensure all education should be a separate subjects/ subject was dis- teachers play their part. cussed in several fora during the conference. In Consideration of these issues led to a the secondary workshop, the consensus was pro that posal for a national coordinator for environmen environmental issues are integrated by their very tal education in the Curriculum Unit, working nature and therefore must be integrated into all closely with all subject panels. subjects. Sometimes this can be done by giving Mr I) Marsland, a field education ii topic an 'environmental twist' officer in and the follow- Ngamilind, reported on ing is an example of that. a study amongst school teachkcr about their In the English syllabus background knowledge, there are no specific approa( -iesand attitudes environmental objectives, towards environmental but the experiences of issues on the curriculum. a participating English teacher This was not intended indicated that to be a comprehensive research much can be done. When teaching project but descriptive rather a way of collecting material composition, students were taken to stimulate out in the discussion during the conference. school garCen for some discovery The respond learning. ents were primarily teachers Working in pairs with one of Integrated Sci blind folded, the task ence, Social Studies and was to use the senses to experience Agriculture. the environ- Indications from this ment (the trees and small survey were that the insects) through listen- teachers' knowledge ing, touching, ind smelling. of basic environmental After this, students issucs often falls returned to the '..assroom short of what is required to to write down their teach these issues. Further, experiences. This little some teachers did - exeicise, although an not recognise parts English class, enhanced of their syllabus as having environmental aware- significant environmetal ness by content and often bringing the students in close contact omitted with nature which these sections. therefore became more alive Reasons advocated for them. for this were that environ mental education had never received strong It wz s agreed that environmental issues also emphasis in pre- and in-service teacher training, teachers may have Environmental poor private study habits or Education 12 may simply not have easy access to suitable needed to become attached to them-this could literature. This study indicates that teacher then lead to empowerment and to action. The training on environmental issues and methods panel suggested that students should be in is needed to provide teachers with the basic volved in choosing environmental issues of skills, to identify the range of issues that relate interest to them rather than have issues of little to the environment and to adopt appropriate relevance dictated by the teacher. The panel teaching techniques. This is necessary both to admitted that there were difficulties in assessing instill information and to change attitudes and attitude change, but some research was behaviour, underway in this area. Another revelation from this study was that In the next session, workshop participants teachers outside science/ agriculture/social were split up into groups and given the follow studies rarely used the environment as a teaching questions to focus the discussion with a view ing resource. Even where teachers were required to come up with recommendations for the to use the environment as a component of their future: course they often fail to do so. The excuses offered were that time was not sufficient to take * With the pupil in mind, what should be the students out, other classes would be disturbed, end product of environmental education? or lack of transport. * What can be done about the curriculum to l)rs R Stronkhorst in his paper on teacher produce the desired change? education stressed that teacher training vas a * What can teacher training institutions/ key factor in the development of environmental school teachers do to produce that desired education, a point highlighted in the National change? Conservation Strategy. He reported that the introduction of environmental education in The secondary workshop finally adopted the teacher training curricula had regrettably been UNEP goal for environmental education, cited limited to the addition of a few elements of previously. content. This goal could clearly not be achieved by He advocated that teaching methodologies schools alone, but schools should he one of should be significantly broadened and there was many contributors. a need to identify and develop special environ- It was agreed that the Curricultim Develop mental education competencies which include ment Unit has a key role to pla7 in achieving skills and behavioural objectives. Although the goal. It was suggested that an 'environmen certain subjects had a larger role to play in tal ethos' be introduced into teacher education, environmental education than others, neverthc not just Into education courses but into the less, all subjects were involved. Since behav- whole philosophy of each teacher training ioural objectives were dominant, teachers college. Some of the desired competencies could needed to lead by example as suitable role be developed in the everyday life of the college, models. while others would be specifically taught In He emphasized that in-service, including that courses. at MEd level, would be required to prepare teacher educators and curriculum developers to Current and planned activities at tertiary take a lead in environmental education develop- level-M Cantrell ment and implementation. Unlike the primary and secondary worshops One exciting and unusual aspect of the which dealt with single sectors of eduction, workshop was an inter-continental discussion, participants in the Tertiary Workshop were Through a satellite link organised by the United drawn from many different tertiary institutions States Information Service, it was possible to with only technical and vocationai training have a discussion between participants in institutions being closely related (The Botswana Gaborone and a panel of well-known educa- Polytechnic and BRIDEC). The other Institutions tionalists in America. In response to questions included the Ministry of Health, Botswana from conference participants, the panel stressed College of Agriculture and the University of that attitude development was important. They Botswana. recommended a focus on students' values, Some of the speakers had tried to assess the asking students to consider the consequences of current stutus of environmental education their values and to share them with others. The through questionnaires. In most cases feedback teacher's role in this context was to get students was limited and this led speak-rs to assume that to confront their own values, but not to impose education about the environment was neither them. perceived as important by staff nor emphasized The panel emphasized that it was not suffi- in the curricula of their various institutions. cient to make students aware of issues; they Although admitting that other means of collect-

13 ANational Planning Conference ing information might have created a more not feature In existing programmes to any positive picture, speakers concluded that much extent. Mr S Manchisi examined some of the needed to be done to create an awareness of the reasons for this at the Botswana Polytechnic Importance of the subject. focusing on the problem of imported curricula. The future initiatives mentioned were largely These by their nature could not address pressing the hopes and aspirations of the speakers rather national concerns and were generalh/ deficient than definite measures which had been agreed in environmental issues. at an Institutional level. At the artisan level, Mr BSwallander of The workshop also heard from Dr M Koech BRIDEC, reported that many instructors them about the !xperiences of Kenya In of the intro- selves were not well informed about sound duction of environmental education pro- environmental practices. This meant that trainee grammes over the years. builders and other construction workers in the Mr S Goma of the Environmental Health Brigades received little or no training about Unit of the Community Health Service, Ministry waste disposal or the inherent health dangers of of Health stressed the importance attached to many of the materials such as asbestos with environmental health education In the Primary which they were working. Health Care Programme in Botswana. Several Both speakers stressed the need for curricu. dominant causes of ill health are associated with lum change so that students In technical train inadequate environmental sanitation and lack of ing were aware of the day to day hazards of the safe water supply. Health education therefore industrial processes and materials they were targets those conditions which are detrimental using, and the safe disposal of waste products. to health. Currently health education took a Following a survey of University of Botswana holistic approach; focusing on the social context departments, Mr 0 Totolo reported that at least in which the patient lives-the economic, seven departments taught elements of environ political and environmental factors which have mental education, particularly the Environmen a negative effect on health. tal Science Department which offered courses to Besides the Primary Health Care Programme, Masters level. This department was unique in Mr Goma emphasized that all training pro- providing courses across the faculties. However, grammes at the National Health Institute have a there were few interdisciplinary courses offered basic course in health education with core and there was little collaboration between elements on environmental issues. These In- departments. HO cited several extra-curricular lude not only the nursing courses but also Initiatives by concerned university students and those for medical laboratory and pharmacy staff and emphasized that all stud-ents should be technicians. made aware of the environmental problems of In future, a three year diploma in Health the country as a matter of priority. Education had been approved and would start as Mr Totolo reported that a new Masters In soon as staff and resources had been allocated. Environmental Education was being designed Dr W Kelly, visiting professor at the Botswana jointly by the Departments of Environmental College of Agriculture (BCA) reported that key Science and Languages and Social Science Educa environmental issues such as soil erosion receive tion which would cater for school teachers. attention in colleges of agriculture throughout The Dean of the Faculty of Sciencc, Dr T T the world. Despite this, problems persist and Mokoena then considered appropriate routes for dominate agenda because they were tackled in the introduction of more environmental aware purely technical terms whereas cultural, social ness into the curriculum at tertiary level, noting and economic aspects were ignored. He fClt that the compartmentalised way in which courses at in general, the relationship between agricultural UB and elsewhere were currently delivered practices and their long-term impact on the under department-based subject systems. environment was not sufficiently emphasized. Key issues addressed were the need for a His personal view was that environmerntal Governmental commitment to environmental education should be integrated into existing education within the framework of its 'basic courses which should emphasize the develop- education for all' policy. This would then ment of a 'sustainable agricultural system for facilitate the formation of university guidelines Botswana. He stressed that environmental and widespread consultation and exposure of problems were usually linked to poverty and the university community to recent trends in that the BCA curriculum should be developed environmental education elsewhere. He advo with the complex interface between soclo- cated a phased approach with modest begin economic development and environmental nings based on the existing subject system, with concerns in mind. stronger lateral links between departments Two speakers from technical training institu- leading eventually to more inter-disciplinary tions reported that environmental edu 'ation did courses.

Environmental Education 14 Non-formal sector-S Hughes ably the most effective way of educating people Given the wide variety of Interest groups about the environment and non-formal teachers linked by the term non-formal education it is needed to be more innovative than teachers in not surprising that the presentation in this other areas. In addition, evaluation was an section covered an equally wide variety of important part of any non-formal programme. subjects. Mr Sekhobo speaking from the Depart- Following a review of the main NGOs In ment of Non-formal Education gave a definition volved in environmental education in Botswana, of non-formal education and reminded the Mr Hancock from the IUCN office in Gaborone workshop that this encompassed subgroups showed the scope of the programmes covered by within the community of all ages. In explaining these organisations. Hancock explained his the role of the Government he emphasised they view that most programmes failed to provide a were not the sole provider of non-formal educa- balance in presentation techniques and relied tion and said that the large target audience was too heavily on dissemination of information fertile ground for the work of environmental without including teaching techniques that education. He then listed the main environ- allowed action. He singled out the Wildlife mentai resource problems and commented that Clubs of Botswana as an example of a form of there was a general lack of awareness of these non-formal education which did provide a well problems. In reaching this audience he identi- rounded approach. fled several categories for targeting and ex plained that the National Literacy Programme Evening programme--M EK Masisi was devc",ping reading material based on these Realizing that participants would welcome developmtental issues. activities during the evenings, a varied pro Representing the media, Mr Mbuya from the gramme was arranged including receptions, film weekly newspaper Mmegi, argued that the local shows, displays of books and other literature by media could be more effective in disseminating the major publishers, posters and exhibits by news about environmental issues. One problem environmentally orientated NGOs (see acknowl was that the media in Botswana was underdevel- edgements section). oped and that many editors aid not see the It was felt that issues addressed by the confer environment as a big story. I-.e also pointed out ence should reach as wide an audience as possi that as all the newspapers were in English any ble, so the public was invited on two evenings environmental issues that werc reported were when additional activities were arranged. One not available to the majority of people. A attraction was the Reetsanang Drama Group, further problerm was that environmental issues whose play was written specially for the confer were hidden by Government departments and ence and graphically described environmental much of it was highly technical. Seminars and issues such as pollution, sustainable arable workshops would help journaiists to understand farming md sanitation. The bilingual perform these technical Issues better so that they in turn ance (Setswana and English) was well received could provide the basic technical information so by the audience and was followed by another badly needed on environmental issues, special attraction; a show by Tshomarelo Pup Mr Carisson from UNEP explained his view pets under the auspices of IUCN. This contained that non-formal education had the advantage various sketches including one which high over other forms of environmental education in lighted the effect thoughtless tree felling would being flexible and being able to pick its target have on the environment in the long term. This audience. He explained that education could be was followed by a sketch about discarded tin either participatory (such as group discussions, cans and, using tin can puppets, addressed not drama, community projects) or non participa- only aesthetic issues, but also the threat posed tory (such as media, publications, exhibitions by discarded cans to good sanitation and envi and lectures). Community projects were prob- ronmental management.

15 ANational Planning Conference Recommendations

In the workshop sessions partidpants had the within the context of other subjects of the opportunity to discuss environmental education currioulum. issues In more detail, to evaluate the present In-service training should use the cxisting status of environmental education In Botswana multiplier effect network for inservice train and to formulate recommendations on how to ing with the aim of training all concerned proceed. The recommendations are therefore people. presented and grouped according to the focus of each workshop. These recommendations were Organisational and communication structures presented at the plenary session on the final day * For effective environmental education,clear of the conference and adopted. organisational and communication structures between different concerned bodies as well as at different operational levels should be set up. Primary education The objective of the Primary Workshop was Resources to formulate a framework for improving envi- e The Integration committee should take ronmental education at primary school level, advantage of issues and use activities that fall Future developments should build onto existing outside formal education. environmental activities both in and out of the * District environmental education committees school. are needed to be a link between environmen tal education in schools and communities Recommendations and to coordinate activities. Curriculum issues * Local personnel should be used to address " National goals for the teaching of environ- environmental issues that teachers are unable mental education should be clearly stated, to address. " Existing objectives should be re-emphasised a Funds should be made available for environ * committtee on Integration should be set up mental education programmes and support to facilitate the writing of materials across the systems for their implementation. curriculum " Monitoring and evaluation of environmental Secondary education education programmes should be undertaken The objective adopted by the secondary on a regular basis. education group was to make pupils environ " Environmental education components mentally knowledgeable skilled and dedicated should be tested in national examinations, citizens. These should be willing to work Indi " Curriculum content should have room for vidually and collectively toward achieving and regional variation in the country. maintaining a dynamic equilibrium between the " The focus of environmental education should quality of life and quality of the environment. be on the processes creating environmental Education in sclt'ols will be one contributor issues. to this objective. " There should be links between environmen tal education in pre-school, primary and Curriculum higher levels of education. * Environmental education has a key role in secondary education and should be Incorpo Teacher training rated Into all subjects. * Teacher training should give students a @ Anational environmental education coordi background in environmental issues as well nator should be appointed to oversee the as appropriate methodologies for teaching introduction of environmental education. environmental education. This should be * Acurriculum panel for environmental educa

Environmental Education 16 tion, with representation from all subject Astudent environmental education council areas, should be formed. should be formed at village and town level to " An environmental education curriculum co-ordinate local environmental education should be developed but Integrated into activities and to infuse environmental aware present subjects. ness into existing youth groups such as 4B " Specific objectives should be formulated In and school clubs. A parent could act as the the following areas: acquiring knowledge, coordinator and a teacher as a technical gaining awareness, developing skills such as adviser. Investigative, action and evaluation skills. " The examination system should include Tertiary education continuous assessment since some environ- The aim of the proposed environmental mental education objectives cannot be tested education programme at tertiary level would be in written examinations, to provide staff and students with the necessary " The Cambridge Syndicate should be asked to knowledge, skills and values to mobillse them include elements of environmental education into addressing environmental Issues. relevant to Botswana. The objectives identified were " A needs assessment be done on whether to • to establish a set of values to underscore the introduce environmental education as a environmental education programmes at separate subject in senior secondary schools. each tertiary institution, * The Ministry of 1-ducation, with support from * to demonstrate to the community at large, NGOs, should provide support to teachers in principles of recycling, energy saving and the form of funds, reading materials, videos, other resource conservation measures, transport. 9 to infuse environmental education into existing courses at tertiary level, and Teacher training * to ensure that all students have access to a " Aset of basic environmental education core course in environmental education competencies should be formulated for all (cross-faculty or cross-department) to fadli secondary school teachers and additional tate the infusion process in later more spe specific competencies identified for Science, cialised programmes Social Studies, Agriculture, Home Economics, * to make students aware of the health and Religious Education, Design and Technology, safety aspects of the technology and waste and Art, products In their discipline, both for them * An assessment should be made to determine selves, their immediate environment and the which of these competencies are already biosphere. catered for in everyday life of the college, its e to make students aware of opportunity costs existing courses and extra curricular activi- of the various alternative strategies ties. * to makc academic staff aware of environmen * Aspects missing should be infused into tal issues pertinent to Botswana existing courses or into new courses and a * to establish research programmes both by variety of extra curricular activities to pro- faculties and their students on environmental mote environmental educationshould be issues and environmental education. encouraged. " Based on a needs assessment, an environ- It was agree that a 'mission approach' was mental education inservice programme for called for. Tlqhe normal attributes of university teachers should be developed, courses-awareness, knowledge and skills had to " Masters degree programmes in environmen- lead to attitude changes and citizen partidpa tal education should be developed for cur- tion. To acheive this staff should include effec riculum developers, school coordinators and tive teaching in their courses so bringing about teacher educators. new values which could be translated Into " Environmental education in-service for action. teacher educators shold be provided. Each institution should Wdd the way in formulating policies of recycling and energy School level saving. The name of this programme should link "Toreinforce positive environmental attitudes economic development with sustainable use of In students Incentives including competi- natural resources. tions, prizes or entertainment as reward for community work should be given. Actions * School projects should be encouraged and The formation of a National Tertiary Environ supervised by teachers (e.g. ponds, rockeries, mental Panel (or similar coordinating compost heaps, aquaria) . committee)is proposed with close links to the

17 A National Planning Conference Environmental Resources Board. The panel organisations should cooperate to make best should seize on initiatives written Into NDP7 use of existing non-formal education pro and the NCS. High level representation of gramames and infrastructure before develop various institutions at the formation of this ing new initiatives. board Is crucial. Its role would be in assisting * Basic information related to non-formal and encouraging tertiary level Institutions to environmental education is required meet the objectives on listed above by current levels of awarene-s and " providing environmental effectiveness education work- of programmes. Relevant organisations shops for academic staff; both for the orienta- should be encouraged to undertake applied tion of new staff to pressing environmental research In environmental education. Issues In Botswana and also to assist longer •Since environmental education is a relatively seiving staff to Infuse environmental educa- new discipline in Botswana there tion into their was a need subject areas for training. This aspect should " providing workshops be investi on health and safety. gated further by the umbrella body In both cases, to pro common workshops for vari- vide for the needs of both trainers ous Institutions and train are to be encouraged. ees Involved In non-formal environmental " assisting institutions in the design of flexible education. curricula. * For non-formal environmental education " supporting student to and staff extra curricular be accorded Its rightful place in clubs and the education action groups on environmental system In Botswana, it matters, should be supported by appropriate legislation. A National " stimulating the development Policy of new under- on (non-formal) environmental education graduate and postgraduate be programmes on formulated through the umbrella body. environmental issues and education. * Non-formal environmental education " coordinating the pro airing of key environmental grammes require improved funding. themes for institutions The to focus on periodi- umbrella body should identify priorities cally. for non-formal environmental education to " monitoring and evaluating the impact of present, through the NCS Coordination environmental education at the various Agency, to donors Institutions. for funding. e An environmental education association " attracting funds to support such initiatives, should be established to provide a forum for Non-formal addressing some of the recommendations education generated by the conference. The non-formal sector Is diverse In terms of a Environmental educators organisations, should take care to target groups and media em- cater for the disabled. ployed. However participants in this group o A'I aspects of environmental education share common goals. These factors influenced should be gender neutral. In Bctswana, the the recommendations which were made: main environmental concerns are those of water, deforestation, Recommendations over-grazing, veld products, overpopulation, pollution and * Improved co-ordination was required wildlife. Within all these areas, women are through an umbrella body or coordination significant users and in many cases, victims committee. The NCS Coordination Agency of environmental degradation. It was there would play a central but not exclusive role in forc recommended that issues be addressed this regard. NGOs, the private sector, Minis- froi i a gender sensitive and holistic perspec try of Education and other government tivc !n order for current class and gender departments should be included. However, inequalities to be identified and addressed.

Environmental Education 18 How to proceed

The need to coordinate the planning and schools could get involved in environment implementation of environmental education related community projects, educators could was strongly expressed by all participants. They Infuse environmental Issues into existing agreed that th ! conference had played an impor- courses, tertiary institutions could develop an tant role in increasing their environmental environmental ethos and set an example by awareness and personal commitment, but to reducing unnecessary waste of energy and ensure continued and effective action, a formal resources. An immediate response by non structure was required. The conference recom- governmental organisations to produce more mended the establishment of an umbrella body support material for environmental education, for environmental education with representa- and Initiate relevant research projects was tion from a wide range of both government and expected. Since all participants were members of non-government organisations. This body groups or organisations able to implement would advise on policy issues and provide aspects of environmental education, a strong direction and orientation for environmental multiplier effect was expected. education. Other recommendations required a formal An environmental education coordinator, structure for implementation. This applied for with their own office and staff woula he essen- example to changes in curricula and examina tial to facilitate flow of information between the tions, the introduction of new courses at tertiary groups and organisations concerned. This is level and to legislation. Teacher training was particularly important in this field since envi- identified as a starting point for a National ronmental education is not usually taught as a Action Plan and involved the challenge of subject in its own right but permeatcs many changing personal attitudes as well as imparting different subjects and courses. It was proposed knowledge. This would involve both pre- and in that the Department of Curriculum Develop- service teacher training and trainers at all levels, ment and E.valuation in the Ministry of Educa- that Is, teachers, lecturers and extension work tion takes on the coordinating role for the ers. umbrella body. During the five-day conference it was not It was also stressed that the task ahead was possible to cover all topics in any great depth: too large for any single organisation such as the the conference could only hope to sensitize Ministry of Education to tackle on its own. To participants to areas of environmental education enable an environmental education campaign to which need further attention. In their evalua have some impact, it was necessary for all or- tion participants suggested that the following ganisations to work together. As not all could be issues should be given more attention and could represented on such an umbrella body, there form themes for follow-up workshops at either was ample room for others such as non-govern- district or national level: mental organistions or tertiary institutions to target more specific groups. 9 the role of local communities in In the plenary session at the end of the environmental education conference, participants called for immediate e gender issues in environmental education action. Many of theire recommendations could • teaching methods for envirnnmental educa be implemented by individual institutions and tion. organisations without delay. For example, Using the recommendations in this report as a starting point, the Ministry of Education agreed to draw up an National Action Plan.

19 ANational Planning Conference Acknowledgements

The success of the conference was due largely following resource persons who came from afar to the generous financial assistance of the and did so much to lead discussions and stimu sponsors and the dedicated efforts of a large late ideas; Mr Ulf Carlsson and Mr Richard number of individuals who helped in the nu- Lumbe both from UNEP in Nairobi, Dr Martha merous ways. Munroe from the North American Association for Environmental Education, Mr Alistair Scott The sponsors from WWF headquarters in Geneva, l)r Irma The main sponsors of the conference were: Allen from Swaziland Ministry of Education, and i)r Michael Koech from Kenyatta University in " Swedish International Development Nairobi, Kenya. Authority (SIDA) " United States Agency for International Local resource persons Pevelopment (USAII)) Many local resources persons were also " United Nations Educational Scientific and involved in presenting papers or chairing ses Cultural Organisation (UNF.SCO) sions. Our thanks go to MrJ Butale, )r M Cantrell, )r S Cooper, MrJ 1)ubbey, l)r K Generous financial and professional suoport Frimpong, Mr 1. Gleeson, Mr S Goma, Mr P was also provided by: Hancock, Mr N Hunter, Prof W Kelly, Mr 1. Kopong, Ms I M Kwape, Ms F l.eburu, Mr S * United States Information Service (USIS) Liphuko, Mr A Makgothi, Ms S Makgothi, Mr S o World Conservation Union (IUCN) Manchisi, Mr I) Marsland, Mr M Masisi, Mr C * United Nations F.nvironment Programme Matihare, Mr F M Mawela, Mr T Mbuya, Ms P (ITNE,) Moanakwena, l)r T T Mokoena, Mr M " World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Mpotokwane, Ms M Nganunu, Mr T Platte, Mr 1) T Ramatsui, Prof H Rempel, Mr 1)Richard, Mr I) In addition, assistance in various forms was I) Rychner, Ms S Seisa, Mr S Sekhobo, )r P Shaw, received from: Ms S Shaw, Prof R Silitshena, Ms F Stoneham, Mr R Stronkhorst, Mr B Swallander, Prof A Taiwo, " MacMillan Botswana (Pty) Ltd Mr N Tau, Mr O Totolo, Mr ' Vanqa, Prof C * Metal Box Company (Pty) L.td Wilkinson. • Sanitas (Pty) * Gaborone City Council * National Museum Organisers The executive co-ordinating committee con Special guests sisted of Rob Stronkhorst, Marianne Nganunu The organisers would like to thank tile Hon- and Mike Cantrell. The editors wish to acknowl ourable Assistant Minister D N Magang, the edge the drive and dedication shown by Rib Permanent Secretary for Education, Mr P 0 Stronkhorst in directing the preparations for the Molosl and the Vice-Chancellor of the Univer- Conference. sity, Prof T '[lou for officiating at the opening Coordinators of the programme sub-commit ceremony. The Deputy Permanent Secretary of tees were Mike Cantrell, Pete Hancock, Kagiso Education, Mr 1)Sephuma and Chairman of Keatimilwe, Mokgweetsi Masisi, Penny Moana Kalahari Conservation Society, Mr 1. G Nchindo kwena, Marianne Nganunu, Rob Stronkhorst. are thanked for closing the proceedings, and Co-ordinators of the logistics subcommittees thanks are due also to the Ambassador for the were Til Kreuels, Samson Manchisi, Marianne United States for hosting the cocktail party. Nganunu, Eleanor Patterson, Rob Stronkhorst and Otlogetswe Totolo. External resource persons Other members of the organising committee The organisers are particularly grateful to the were Nigel Hunter, Bill Kelly, Letlotlo Kopong, Environmental Education 20 Bathusi Letlhare, David Marsland, Esther Moepi, Foundation, USA Ismail Morupisi, Daniel Rychner, Stephen IUCN, the World Conservation Union Sekhobo, Sandra Shaw, Cornelius Van der Post. Kalahari Conservation Society These were assisted behind the scenes by Longman Botswana Sally Hughes, Judy Kelly, Bruce McKim, Ester Macmillan Publishers Moepi, Marjo Oosterbaan, Rosemary Rychner Maitlamo Primary School and Karin Sollart. Metal Box Botswana Ministry of Agriculture (Range Ecology) Evening activities Ministry of Local Government, Lands and A varied evening programme was arranged Housing (NCS Coordination Agency) which was open on some days to the public. The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water following are thanked for providing the evening Affairs (Energy Affair Unit) programme: National Herbarium National Museum " Head and staff of the l)epartment of Environ- Neale Sechele Primary School mental Science, North American Association for " Tshomarelo Puppet Show, Environmental Education * Reetsenang Drama Group, Thusano Lefatsheng " Maru a Pula Marimba Band. UNEP, United Nations Environmental Programme Evening displays Wildlife Clubs Association of Botswana The following organisations, manufactur- WWF, World Wide Fund for Nature ers, publishers and schools are thanked for their displays: Venue support Boikhutso Primary School The conference was held at the University of Botswana Bird Club Botswana in the Faculty of Science where the Botswana Society Pre-Entry Science Department provided facilities, Broadhurst Primary School secretarial and technical support. Further assist Camp Primary School ance was given by undergraduate student help Chobe Wildlife Trust ers, The Educational Technology Centre, Feedem Forestry Association of Botswana Caterers and the Maintenance Department. Heinemann Educational Publishers Additional transport was supplied by the Central International Wilderness Leadership Transport Organisation (CTO).

21 ANational Planning Conference Annex 1 Conference plenary papers

23 ANational Planning Conference Opening speech The Honourable D N Magang AssistantMinister ofFinance and Development Planning

Mr Chairman, distinguished delegates and certainly aware guests, participants, that this Isnot the case. In the ladies and gentlemen. I circumstances, the development wish first of all to welcome you, on behalf of a nationa! of the strategy to achieve sustainable conservation of Government of Botswana, to this important our environment has been paramount in conference on environmental education. Need- our less development objectives. For instance, in Decem to say, our environment today has become a ber 1990, burning the National Conservation Strategy Issue, both locally and internationally. (NCS) was accepted The by Government. This NCS past twenty years has witnessed an is now in awakening to the the process of being translated into an need to think globally about action plan to be implemented environmental issues. during NDP7. Ours is a small planet By adopting its own National which is being rapidly exploited without Conservation any Strategy, the Government has committed itself thought of the long term consequences. The to several publication measures aimed at achieving sustain of the Brundtland Report in 1987 able environmental titled "Our Common goals. Environmental Future" provided a global education is one such agenda for change. It measure and it is essential stressed the need for all Ifthe NCS Isto succeed. This nations to share the responsibility conference is for the caring therefore another milestone on of our planet. The report the road to further emphasised the sensitizing the nation and indeed need for economic development of the whole all nations to world, to the need for environmental education. be based on the concept of sustainability; In Botswana other words, can justly be proud of the great in our quest for development, our strides it has made natural resources should in its educational develop be managed in such a ment since Independence. Through way that future generations can enjoy both formal the same and information education, and with the assist or better quality of life. ance Economic of numerous NGOs, opportunities have development depends to a very been opened for many large extent on the environment. to improve themselves. Unfortu- The challenge now is to use this acquired nately, we are busy degrading the knowl environment edge to protect, rather than destroy our by depleting and polluting its resources. environ This ment. The Ministry of Education in Its future cannot be allowed to go on for long. It will programmes result will accord environmental educa in irreversible changes in plant and ani- tion the priority mal life, leading that it deserves. In this regard, to extinction of many species. the Ministry of Education This in turn is likely to lead to will educate school starvation and children to become aware of their environment disease, urban migration, social disruption and to produce conflict. the skilled and dedicated citizens who are willing to work individually To ensure that development and collec- issustainable, tively towards achieving and maintaining the Brundtland Report outlines an international a dynamic equilibrium between quality of life and strategy and urged all countries to adopt their the environment. own national strategies. The report emphasises I trust that curriculum developers will con that participation and support of all citizens is tinue crucial to make sure that our education is relevant in the preservation of our environment, to the everyday This can only needs of our citizens, as well as be achieved through education- the well-being of the with a new emphasis on environment. However, it the protection of the is clear that environmental education environment for future cannot be generations, achieved only through the For many, Botswana seems efforts of the Minis- a very big country try of Education. It requires the combined with a small population of only 1,3 million. To efforts them, of many Governmental and non-Govern It seems to possess enormous possibilities mental organisations for development, and therefore there is need and environmental problems to coordinate these many appear limited or non-existent, efforts. To achieve this, the Ministry of Education, in cooperation However, the Government of Botswana is, with the University of Botswana and the Kala- Environmental Education 24 han Conservation Society has organised this the United Nations Environmental P'ogramme conference with the aim of bringing together all and the International Union for the Conserva parties to initiate the coordination and expan- tion of Nature (IUCN) for sending personnel, sion of environmental education in Botswana. and I should also like to thank paiticipants for During this conference, participants will gracing this conference with their presence. My discuss the World Conservation Strategy, the appreciation also goes to SIDA, UNESCO and National Conservation Strategy, cnvironmental USAID for the financial contribution and to problems in Botswana and the world in general. USIS and IUCN for helping to plan and organise The integration of environmental education at this conference. all levels of education in Botswana will be Looking at the programme, I have little doubt reviewed and recommendations for further that an exciting and important week lies ahead. integration will be made. It is my hope that at the end of the conference, Participants from a wide spectrum of organi- the deliberations will be translated into concrete sations in Botswana that already play a role in recommendations for a plan of action geared environmental education have been invited, towards protecting our environment. Resource persons have also been invited both Mr Chairman, distinguished delegates, ladies from Botswana and outside, as well as observers and gentlemen, I now have the pleasure to from SADC countries, declare this National Planning Conference on At this stage, I would like to extend my Environmental Education officially opened. gratitude to the World Wide Fund for Nature,

25 ANational Planning Conference Global environmental issues D PRychner Director, IUCN Botswana Office

Good afternoon, Idies and gentlemen. I am our urban and Industrial complexes. But re. pleased to be with you here this afternoon, and search has shown that acidic compounds re therefore take this opportunity at the outset to leased into the atmosphere over one nation can thank the conference organisers for inviting me. precipitate in rain over another nation, thereby The organisation I represent, IUCN, the World causing damage to lakes and forests. In addition, Conservation Union, is t;re largest professional the emission of so-called greenhouse gases, conservation organisation In the world, and has Including carbon dioxide (produced mainly been addressing global environmental issues for through the use of fossil fuels), has resulted In over four decades. In my short talk, I hope to what may be regarded as one of the most impor give you an insight into some of these issues. tant problems mankind has to face today As long ago as '1.emid 1950s, the first signs global warming. Our planet is already commit of a hole In the ozone layer over Antarctica were ted to climate changes. Each continent has recorded. Today, during the 1990s, tropical already recorded altered seasons as well as forests are disappearing by as much as 40 hec- changed patterns of river flow, rainfall, storm tares every minute. By 2005, some experts say intensity and other phenomena. The effects of that the earth will be warmer than it has been at climate change are likely to impact on 'he any time in the past 120 000 years. In the current crisis facing biological diversity. Every oceans, the effects of pollution have not so far country in the world will face major changes in been detected on a global scale, but general the future, such as increasing desertification, a trends of increasing contamination can be rise In the sea level or others. recognized in some areas and these trends are The depletion of the ozone layer is due warning signals. Species are disappearing at a largely to the injection into the atmosphere of rate of 150 per day, some of them as yet un- chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a family of gases known to science. These are facts. that was invented in 1930; unfortunately, Looking back on the history of ecological almost all the CFCs that have been released awareness, one can observe a very important since the 1930s are stil: In the atmosphere so we trend away from early initiatives that were taken can expect to feel their effects for at least several to protect individual but spectacular species likc more generations, even if we stopped using the American Bison. During this century, and them now. Damaging the ozone layer enables particularly in its second half, all sorts of wider higher levels of ultraviolet radiation to reach the problems have been identified. The response nf planet, thereby causing increased levels of hum humanity Isstill fragmented but has tended to an cancer, eye problems, reduced productivity of become better organized. Environmentalists are plants, and damage to animals In the marine now concerned about all natural resources, but food chain. Unlike drought or other local prob the most important ones are those which form lets, the impact of a weakened ozone shield the basis for life: clean air, clean water and will affect all of the world simultaneously. biological diversity. Clearly, major changes are affecting the atmosphere today. Whether these changes will The atmosphere bring minor discomfort or major tragedy de I would like to look first at the air, or better pends on how governments respond. still, the atmosphere. It allows us to breathe, it protects us from the harmful effects of solar The oceans radiation, controls our climate, and is used as a All life on our planet depends on the global vast highway by both people and wildlife. circulation of water-the cycle that draws water Until the seventies, it was a commonly held from the oceans to become clouds of water view that the atmosphere was so voluminous vapour in the atmosphere which then precipl that it had an unlimited capacity to absorb the tates as rain over the land and eventually returns amount of pollution being injected into it by via rivers to the sea. The water also cycles vital Environmental Education 26 nutrients through ecosystems and thus supports areas) is a measure of humanity's use or mis-use a rich variety of terrestrial life. The seas' micro- of the world's resources. If the commons are scopic plants are thought to produce about one preserved in a healthy state it will be because fourth of the world's oxygen. In short, the ocean concern for their health has led to control Is a vast, complex system with a fairly Jelicate measures to keep them In that state. If people balance of variables which enables it to main- can develop the technological skills as well as tain the conditions necessary to support life. political will needed to safeguard the globai For the first time in history, this balance is commons, It will very likely be an extension of under threat from man's activities. As with the the same will and abilities needed to solve other atmrosphere, the oceans were considered exten- problems threatening the planet's future. sivr.enough to absorb huge quantities of our The point of view that the whole of the waste without major negative effects. However biosphere is a "global commons" Is consistent man-made chemicals have been detected In the with the notion that the earth as a whole func ceep ocean, and residues o,pesticides used in tions as a single living unit, even though It has the northern hemisphere have been found In only a thin veneer of living tissue. While the tissues of organisms as far away as the southern chemical and biological cycles that characterize tip of South America. Over-exploitation of living the planet are lkr'wn to fluctuate naturally over resources and coastal developmer,', are addi- time, and to an extent resist disturbance, cau tional major factors affecting the ocean. tion Is needed to prevent major Imbalances or even a collapse of ,hesystem. Human use of Antarctica resources has dramatically altered some of these Antarctica acts as the most Important fresh cycles. water reservoir in the world with 90 per cent of this water being locked up in the Antarctic The response of mankind icecap. This most remote continent is thus vital Since 1972, when planning for the United to sustaining human life, affecting global cli- Nations Conference on the Human Environ mate and determining coastlines throughout the ment started, global environmental Issues have world. If the lcecap of Antarctica were to melt been widely discussed. The Stockholm Declara the level of the ocean would rise by 50,-60 tion and conference resolutions constituted, in metres. Widely predicted global warming wll their way, a strategy for addressing some of the melt at least part of th!s icecap, leading to Issues. The World Commission on Environment serious impacts on coastlines, and Development (WCED) was established by the United Nations in 1983 to propose long Biological diversity term environmental strategies for achieving Species are the building blocks of ecosystems, sustainable development, to recommend ways to and ecosystems form the life support system for promote greater international cooperation In humans. It is apparent that more effective addressing problems relating to environment management of species and habitats will enable and development, and to help define a broad societies to adapt more effectively to the re- consensus on the major issues. sources available in their ecosystems, while The WCED report, entitled Our Common producing sufficient surplus to trade for goods Future was presented to the United Nations and services needed from afar. Biological diver- General Assembly in October 1987. Simultane sity is now under siege throughout the world. ously, the United Nations Environment Pro More species than ever before are threatened gramme tabled Its Environmental Perspective to with extinction, with thousands disappearing the Year 2000 and Beyond. These two reports each year. Sensitive ecosystems are under In- reinforce each other, and build on the philoso creasing pressure from humans. Development phy formulated in the 1980 World Conservation tends to emphasize short-term exploitation Strategy. rather than the long-term, sustainable utiliza- Both of the 1987 reports paint a frightening tion of natural resources. Over-exploitation of picture of the rapid depletion of the world's living natural resources is driven primarily by resources, coupled with rising social and eco the desire for an immediate financial reward, nomic problems. They reflect the widespread without considering the legitimate needs of frustration about the inability of current ap local peoples or future generations. Where proaches to solve the Inter-linked problems of significant profit can be made, as in the case of environment and development and call for African rhinos, the target species can be devas- major changes in the way people relate to their tated with virtually no benefit to local commu- environment. Inpresenting the WCED report, nities. the Commission's Chairman, Prime Minister The state of health or deterioration of the Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway, issued a commons (traditional grazing and agricultural challenge to the world:

27 ANational Planning Conference Teacher and pupils at Maitlamo Primary School, Lobatse exploring the natural world in their school grounds..

"We call for a common endeavour and for new norms of behaviour at all levels and in the Interests of all. The changes in attitudes, in social values, and In aspirations that the report urges will depend on vast campaigns of educa tion, debate and public participation. To this end, we appeal to citizen's groups, to non-governmental organisations, to educational Institutions, and to the scientific community. They have all played indispensable roles in the creation of public awareness and political change in the past. They will play acrucial part In putting the world onto sustainable develop ment paths, in laying the groundwork for Our Common Future." The main message of WCED Is that funda mental clanges are coming to our planet. These changes-biological, economic, political, so dal-are all interlinked and their direction is predictable. People can work together to prepare for and where possible modify the changes that will occur, or people can abuse their resources in ways that Increase the chances of damage and disruption. The best strategy for the world is to work diligently to build the capacity to direct change and to adapt to it when it comes. Such adaptability will require using the available Bank, UNDP and UNEP in establishing aGlobal resources in ways that sustain their long-term Environmental Facility of US$1,3 billion, to productivity. address ozone layer depletion, climate change, Sustainable development is a process which erosion of biological diversity and the protection enables harmonious human relationships with of international fresh and marine waters. These natural resources to endure over time, and to are promising starts. But mankind must go adapt to changing conditions. By its nature, it much further in reaching binding international iiposes limits, seeking a balance which is commitments that include additional financing within the resilience of a system, consistent with and technology transfer. These twin issues social values and institutions, and based on local loomed large in the first session of negotiations participation in the development process. leading to an international legal instrument on Slowly, governments are accepting the wis- biological diversity. IUCN has been preparing dom of the late Indian Prime Minister Nehru's the draft Convention for four years now. Many comment that "the alternative to co-existence is people aic frustrated that progress has been so co-destruction". Governments are slowly begin- slow, while species extinction rates have risen so ning to act together. For example, one year ago, quickly. rearly one hundred developed and developing However, few could have anticipated the countries amended and strengthened the Mon- complex issues before the negotiators. They treal Protocol, by agreeing to the virtual elimina- include the need for increased scientific research tion of CFCs and other ozone-destroying chemi- and training in tropical and humid countries cals. For the first time ever, governments agreed and additional financing to protect genetic to establish a Multilateral Fund of US$240 diversity, to provide free access to genetic re million over three years, designed to provide sources, and to provide fair compensation new to and additional resources to facilitate tech- "gene-rich" tropical countries and "technology nology transfer, and to ensure that developing rich" industrialized countries. countries-those least responsible for global Success in global conservation-i must combine pollution-become full partners In defining and in situ conservation strategies. Natural reserves Implementing solutions. and protected areas for wildlife are in themselves Progress islikewise underway by the World impotent in defending species against acid rain,

Environmental Education 28 soil erosion and the loss of wetlands, coral reefs cleaner technologies, and revamp the economic and other habitats from human activity. In fne values attached to natural resources. Economics run-up to the 1992 United Nations Conference has consistently undervalued or Ignored natural on Environment and Development, progress resources, thereby beckoning Individuals, Indus towards agreement on the two mutually rein- tries and governments to exploit them as if the, forcing treaties on climate change and biological were free and infinite resources. Clearly, stand diversity will test the collective commitment to ing forests, wlid species, virgin soils and precious save the planet. Legally binding, action-oriented clean air and fresh water have life-sustaining protocols to give teeth to these conventions, will and photosynthetic values that must be Incorpo be developed. rated into Gross National Product and other Slowly, a new imperative is emerging in measurements. The World is looking to the which resources are being channeled to meet Second World Conservation Strategy to help basic human needs, to fight poverty, to increase integrate ecology with economy and develop access to jobs, health care and education, and to ment in an operative manner. Caring for the engage the traditions and skills of the people- Earth, a strategy for sustainable living, will be particularly women-in development. Poverty launched worldwide on the 21st of October and environmental degradation are mutually 1991. It is the result of a close cooperation reinforcing. Conservation cannot succeed when between IUCN, UNEP and WWF. On the 21st of over one billion people are too worried about October, key politicians and conservation or their next meal or tonight's fuelwood to be ganisations throughout the world will come concerned about inter-generational responsibil- together and underline their willingness to ity. Environmental protection cannot be imple- implement this new tool. mented without successfully accelerating sus- Let us work together on this new task. tainable development and strengthening sus tainable livelihoods. Progress likewise demands that developed countries reform wasteful consumer and other destructive habits, turn from polluting to

29 ANational Planning Conference Environmental issues in Botswana: problems and opportunities Paul Shaw Department ofEnvironmentalScience, UniversityofBotswana

Introduction (Pike, 1971; Sandford, 1978). Drought should be Although Botswana is party to the many considered a limitation rather than a hazard; the environmental problems that beset the world in biota of the region is adapted to drought condi the closing decade of the twentieth century, tions, as have human groups been in the past. there are some which are of more immediate Environmental constraints have been a major concern than others. Much has been written on factor in the history of development in Bot environmental issues in Botswana during the swana, from the Stone Age through to current past decade (for example, Botswana Society, industrialisation. It is when these constraints are 1984, 1986; Arntzen and Veenendal, 1986; ignored, or when the technologies of exploita Cooke and Silitshena, 1986; IUCN 1990; tion outstrip the capacity of the environment to Thomas and Shaw, 1991); far more, in fact, than provide, that environmental problems occur. can be covered in this short discourse. The aim, Environmental issues in Botswana can be therefore, is to summarise and simplify the main divided into those arising in rural areas from Issues, explain how they have arisen in the past, pressure on resources, and more recent problems and where they are likely to lead to in the arising from "development", mostly In urban future. On the strength of the maxim that areas. both are man-induced. "those who forget the past will be condemned to repeat it" the emphasis has been placed on the A history of environmental issues historical aspects. The understanding of the The environment consists of ecosystems underlying causes of environmental problems is which vary in productivity through time, both the first step to solving them, a process in which seasonally, and on longer time scales, such as environmental education, the theme of this the drought cycle (Tyson, 1986). Human devel conference, has a major role to play. opment relies on the exploitation of these ecosystems using available technology; in turn Environmental hazards and constraints in the patterns of use become incorporated into Botswana the culture and traditional beliefs of the peoples We are fortunate that there are few natural concerned. hazards in Botswana. Volcanic actiN ity ceased The history of mankind shows that technolo some 70 million years ago, leaving a legacy of gies of exploitation have become more sophisti diamond wealth, and although earthquakes are cated, and progressively less reliant upon the common in Ngamiland they leave litje damage; environment. Technological improvement, the largest recorded at Richter scale 6.7, !n 1952, whether it be the invention of the wheel or the merely caused the collapse of a couple of huts In use of telecommunications satellites, has imme Maun. Flooding occurs sporadically, causing diate positive impacts for the society concerned, disruption of communications, as in eastern and becomes widely adopted. Frequently, how Botswana in 1988, or loss of life, as in the ever, negative impacts may follow. There is no Kolobeng River in March this year, but is not on better example than the motor car, hailed as a the same scale as the impact of cyclone harbinger of personal freedom in the early Domoina on Mozambique and Swaziland in decades of the century, and now recognised a 1984, which left over 10 000 dead and 100 000 global environmental problem. As technology homeless. develops by a series of distinct steps, the under Far more important are the limitations standing of the implications of the advance, and imposed by the environment, particularly those its assimilation into the cultural milieu follows of poor soils, high temperatures, erratic rainfall years or even generations later. and lack of surface water. Drought is endemic, In Botswana the small populations and long with a statistical probability of severe drought period of technological conservatism repre occurring every 5 to 7 years in many parts of the sented by the Stone Age and Iron Age led to an country, and partial drought every two years equilibrium between society and environment,

Environmental Education 30 although resource problems may have occurrcd as early as the 13th century (Campbell, 1982). Table 2 Technologies with a major Impact on By the first decades of the 19th century, with the Botswana environmenta since 1800 large migrations of Tswana groups into the region during the Difaquane, environmental Technology Impact conflicts still seemed to have been minimal, with the presence of strong, centralised tribal ox-drawn plough extension of agriculture to authority and the adoption of arable and pasto- hardveld ral strategies suited to environmental limita tions. A list of the principal attributes of these societies is given as Table 1. These attributes are horse/firearms/ trade, decimation of mammal important, for they form tile basis of current ox-wagon herds outside tsetse fly areas perceptions of the environment amongst Batswana. The tribal authority has been largely superseded by other forms of administration, internal access and movement of with a consequent weakening of the environ- combustion commodities mental monitoring and control that was inher- engine (vehicle) ent in the authority of the dikgosi (Hitchcock, (pumps) exploitation of water resources 1985). The five remaining attributes have been largely overtaken by the developments that have occurred in the past 150 years, based mostly veterinary health expansion of national herd upon the technological innovations listed in programmes Table 2. medical health change in demographic The effects of these impacts have been de scribed in detail elsewhere (Campbell and Child, 1972; Campbell, 1991; Thomas and Shaw, 1991). In the 19th century, human influence wire fencing reduction of free range spread to the most remote coiners of the coun- _I

try; trade In wildlife products, and to a certain Table 1 Attributes of late Iron Age societies in extent, cattle, spread, large mammals were Botswana eliminated over much of the region, and deple tion of surface water supplies occurred. After the Centralised tribal authority, including the brief respite offered by the rinderpest epizootic monitoring of grasing and water resources in the 1890s, expansion and change has oc through tribal structures curred at an ever increasing rate. Rural health programmes have encouraged a tenfold Increase Large families to counteract high infant in population from 120 000 in 1904 to the mortality, and to provide labour and de- present estimate of 1,3 million. Borehole tech fence nology, supported by veterinary medicine, has allowed the expansion of livestock Into areas Perception of unlimited land hitherto occupied by wildlife, whilst fencing has permitted the division of the land into a series Free wildlife and vegetation resources under of large paddocks. In the past twenty years the the control of dikgosi exploitation of minerals has provided resources and income for the industrial and commercial Opportunist subsistence agriculture based on development of urban centres. Inevitably these drought resistant species and staggered developments have brought conflicts of Interest planting/harvesting over resources and land use: within the past decade there has been a growing realisation that Drought strategy pastoralism based on maxi- some of Botswana's development is not sustain mum cattle herds, transhumance and the able in the long term. The National Conserva mafisa system of cattle tenure tion Strategy, discussed separately In this confer ence, Is the result of seven years of deliberations by government and non-government organisa tions on the question of a sustainable future.

31 ANational Planning Conference Population and environmental problems Figure 1 Linkages between environment, Figure 2 shows the basic relationship between technology and social response population and resources. Essentially human groups consume the available resources and Environment Technology Social Reponse produce waste, which, In an Ideal situation, would be recycled back to the resource base. limitations immediate perception Sustainable use of resources is quite simply the positive consumption at or below the level at which the impact resources regenerate. If the population increases rapidly In num- variation possible culture/activity bers, then there is increasing competition for longterm activity finite resources, a situation which leads Inevita- negative bly to the Poverty Cycle, with the accompany- impacts Ing miseries of famine, disease and resource destruction so apparent in many parts of Africa. Alternatively there can be Increased consump tion of resources per capita, a characteristic of economic development. Although quality of life improves with development, the cost in re sources is hlh, particularly in terms of dealing with waste. In practice Botswana is dealing with both problems simultaneously. The population Is growing at 3,7% per annum, with 50/ of the population below the age of 15, and therefore requiring massive infrastructural investment for little economic return. Improvements in health care and life expectancy have long made obso lete the need for large families, and the notion, prevalent in many developing countries, that "a populous nation is a mighty nation" has shown to be untenable in the face of current ecological realities. The adoption of a Population Policy in Figure 2 Relationship between population Botswana will be a major step in the long-term and resources drive to sustainability. Without it the desired possible recycling goals will be difficult, if not impossible, to attain. CnupinPouto Consumption Production of resources of waste Problems related to pressure on resources population Amajor set of problems relate to increasing • Consumption at or below renewable pressure on land, water, vegetation and wildlife levels isconsidered to be Sustainable Devel resources, and it ispertinent to make some opment comment on these in passing. All of these a Increased consumption (depletion of problems arise quite simply because our tech- resources) arises from an increase in popula niques of exploitation have improved. In the tion, that is the poverty cycle, and/or the case of the cattle industry, as Cooke (1991) has increased consumption per capita which Is recently remarked, problems have arisen quite development. simply because livestock numbers increase in the absence of natural controls, and the tradi tional management system has not been modi fied to restore the balance. The problems of the Table 3 Factors favouring environmental cattle industry have been well documented conservation in Botswana (Hitchcock, 1985; Yeager, 1989) and well publi cised, and includes overstocking, range degrada- ° small population tion, competition with wildlife resources, un- 0 economic viability controlled expansion of boreholes, low levels of • democratic tradition productivity, inequitability of cattle ownership • late industrialisation (60% of cattle are owned by 5%of the popula- 0 government awareness tion, with 45% of rural dwellers having no

Environmental Education 32 access to livestock at all), abuse of the traditional ecologically unique Pandamatenga Northern grazing system by the application of dual graz- Plain be given over to farmland is one that ing rights under TGLP, and high levels of owner should be strongly resisted. absenteeism under the mafisa tenure system. Other resource shortages have a more cheer The national herd has again risen to 3 million in ful prospect, in that the problems, however 1991 after a loss of 500 000 beasts in the 1984/5 serious, are well known and are being actively drought, and further losses, accompanied by addressed. In this category we have a renewed serious environmental consequences, are inevi- interest in wildlife utilisation as an alternative table as soon as the climate once again fails us. use of range land, with recent publication of the The environmental answers are fairly Wildlife Utilisatlon Policy and the Tourism straightforward: cattle numbers must be limited Policy. The regeneration of wildlife utilisation to the carrying capacity of the range, probably at has also lead to a major revision of the demarca around 2-2,5 million, and, on the grounds that tion and use of Controlled Hunting Areas, and poverty is tile driving force behind environmen- !!e-i tudly ',ead it) ,,evkew of ilite whole tal degradation, the benefits of the cattle indus- system of land tenure. Hydrological resources try must be more equally distributed in rural have been assessed in the National Master Water society. Politically the answer is difficult to Plan. The serious problems of woodland and accept as cattle wealth Is important for social as veldproduct depletion have been highlighted by well as economic reasons and 70% of the popu- NGOs, and are addressed In the NCS. What Is lation live near the poverty line. Yeager (1989), now required is sufficient investment and in his analysis of the Botswana cattle industry, political willpower to Implement the policies. has pointed out that politicians in a democratic society are unlikely to press for environmentally The problems of development sound, but culturally unpopular policies if it Botswana has had one major advantage In Its means losing their jobs, and here the matter recent industrialisation--development has come rests. Both the Ministry of Agriculture Policy late, and there has been ample opportunity to Paper (MOA, 1990) and tile NCS (GOB, 1990) learn from the mistakes of others. Unfortu recognise the magnitude of the problem, but nately, the opportunity has not been taken, and stop short of stating the nature of the medicine, it is probable that over the next twenty years For the time being the government is adopting a environmental problems resulting from develop soft approach. For example, in the Daily News of ment will assume alarming proportions. The 3rd July, 199 1, the Honourable Mr Morake M.P. problems are manifold and are best illustrated appealed for a reduction in herd size to conserve by selected examples. the environment, while Mr David Finlay, Man- The most obvious to the public is the ques aging Director of the Botswana Meat Commis- tion of litter. It is natural for humans to discard sion outlined propcsals for a review of the objects which have no value; without this trait pricing formula to increase offtake of beasts in there would be no science of archaeology. Again the prime 2-2,5 year age range. the shift in technology is important; a thousand The problems in the arable sector are less well years of discarding clay pots has left far less known and far less soluble. The problem here is impact on the landscape than a decade of to take a flexible but low productivity subsist- aluminum cans. This particular item has become ence system and to turn it into a modern farm- the totem of anti-litter campaigns, and It Is ing system with assured yields, the so-called important to understand the magnitude of the Food Security of the Agricultural Policy. The problem, as it equally applies to other objects, difficulty of the task can be seen from the results such as polythene bags, paper and tyres which of the Accelerated Rainfed Agricultural Pro- we do not recycle. Every year the company gramme (ARAP), which cost an estimated P 100 which produces beverages in Botswana imports million between 1985 and 1990 (MOA, 1990), 200 million cans to hold the 50 million litres of yet with the exception of the good climatic year beer and 30 million litres of soft drinks pro 1987/88, resulted in some of the lowest yields duced. Currently about 10% of these containers since Independence. are recovered for recycling, and the rest are There has been an increasing tendency over discarded. For those who collect odd statistics, the last few years to seek the answers to agricul- we throw away enough cans, laid end to end, to tural productivity in sophisticated large scale stretch from Gaborone to Francistown every dryland or irrigated projects. Given the physical week. and managerial constraints these are likely, not Sadly Botswana is acquiring a reputation for only to fail, but also to lead to serious environ- this form of pollution, which Is unnecessary. mental consequences, as well Illustrated by the Many poorer countries In Africa, for economic Pandamatenga schemes of the 1950's and reasons, make the container returnable, and the 1980's. The idea currently circulating that the problem disappears. Most western countries

33 A National Planning Conference Solid waste disposal isone of Gaborone's major pollution problems.

combat the menace by legislation and economic incentive. In Botswana, we do nothing. Culpa bility must rest on those who put financial profit before environmental cost, and on those who, through inaction, fail to pursue the many remedial options open. On a larger scale Botswana has failed to come to terms with the burgeoning problem of do mestic and industrial waste disposal (Segosebe and Van Der Post, 1990). Good waste manage ment is expensive, and so far, investment has been limited. A prime example of the waste hazard can be seen at the Gaborone City dump, where an unsealed landfill site, lying between a residential suburb and the city's water supply, is subject to both uncontrolled dumping and burning of waste, some of which Is toxic. Another aspect of the negative impacts of development can be seen on the roads of towns. The government has made commendable invest ment on transport Infrastructur, in rural areas, and has actively promoted car ownership through vehicle loans, cheap petrol and low road tax. The result has been a massive increase in vehicles in urban areas where road infrastruc ture Is inadequate. A quick survey of number plates will reveal that over 40 000 vehicles have development are now being formulated. been registered in Gaborone alone during the Whether the government will have the political past seven years, and at the predicted rate of will to implement these polides fully remains to urban growth, the roads of the city will resemble be seen, and it is here that interaction with an those of Cairo or Lagos within the decade, informed, environmentally aware public is Investment In alternative forms of public and essential. private transport should be a national priority. The greatest advantage Botswana possesses is a combination of these factors, which has given Opportunities and advantages in it the luxury of a breathing space in which to conservation map out the future. Whilst there is economic Botswana is not alone in trying to come to growth and a small population, that space terms with the environmental consequences of exists-but it may not last long, and changes In the last two or three hundred years. It does, the environment are occurring at an ever in however, have significant advantages over many creasing rate. countries, which are shown in Table 3. Some of Environmental education is now a necessity, these have already been alluded to. The small and the importance of the present school gen population and economic viability means that it eration as a target must be stressed. By the time does not have the crushing burden of poverty the current cohort of seven year olds leaves that is found for example, in Sahelian Africa, primary education, thk Lopulation of Botswana where economic, demographic and environmen- will have reached 2 million. tal problems are proving almost impossible to solve. The negative impacts of rapid develop- The role of environmental education ment are just beginning to sink in, but Botswana Many of the adjustments necessary on the is not dealing with the massive pollution prob- path to sustainability can be achieved through lems of, say, eastern Europe. The government the enforcement of appropriate legislation, has become increasingly aware of environmental through careful planning, and by the applica Issues during the past decade, and although a tion of fiscal benefits and penalties. democratic tradition can be a rather ambivalent Above all, however, environmental education factor, policies directed towards sustainable is essential at all levels of society. This was stated Environmental Education 34 some years ago in a Botswana Society publica- Campbell, A.C. (1982). Notes on the prehistoric tion, Developing Our Environmental Strategy background to 1840. In: R.R. Hitchcock and (1986:17): M. Smith (eds), Settlement in Botswana -The "Much of the misuse and abuse of national Historical Background of a Human Land resources of grazing land, soil, and water is due scape, pp 13-20. Botswana Society/ to the continued prevalence of out-of-date Heinemann: Gaborone. traditional attitudes to cattle and cattle owner- Campbell, A.C. (1991). History of Elephants in ship, and to ignorance of basic causes of Botswana. In: The Future of Botswana's overgrazing and land degradation. The dire Elephants, pp 5-15. Proceedings of a KCS/ threat to basic natural resources and to future DWNP Workshop, Gaborone, 1990. environmental integrity is thus unappreciated Campbell, A.C. and Child, G.F. (1971). The by large sections of the population. impact of Man on the environment of Bot There is a great urgency in changing these swana. Botswana Notes and records 3: 91 out-of-date attitudes and in educating the 109. population at large. This can only be done Cooke, H.J. (1991). Environmental conservation: through effective popular education at all lev- the road to survival. KCS Newsletter 33: 4-16. els..." Cooke, Hj. and Silitshena, R.M.K. (1986). Bot This statement is not entirely correct, in that swana - an Environmental Profile. UNEP research amongst rural people (for example, Desertification Branch, Nairobi. 36 pp. Fortmann, 1989) has frequently shown that they Fortmann, L. (1989). Peasant and official views have a high awareness of the causes and proc- of rangeland use in Botswana fifty years of esses of resource degradation, and their belief is devastation ? Land Use Policy 6: 197-202. that official prescriptions are the cause of prob- Government of Botswana (1990) The National lems. Conservation Strategy : National Policy on E-nvironmental education must therefore Natural Resources Conservation and Develop have several aims. First, should be the dissemi- ment. Government Printer, Gaborone. nation of environmental knowledge and values Hitchcock, R.K. (1985). Water, land and live to the whole spectrum of age groups, to promote stock: the evolution of tenure and adminis awareness and understanding of environmental trative patterns in the grazing areas of Bot issues. By extension it must contribute to the swana. In: L. Picard (ed), The Evolution of fine-tuning of the less appropriate cultural Modern Botswana. pp 84-121. Rex Collings/ perceptions. Beyond these basics it should University of Nebraska Press. inculcate into all citizens a sense of responsibil- IUCN (1990). The Nature of Botswana. 87 pp. ity for their actions, and those of the society in Ministry of Agriculture (1990). Botswana's which they live. In this way they can actively Agricultural Policy: Critical Sectoral Issues participate in the decisions which influence and Future Strategy for Development. Draft their environment, exerting pressure upon the Agricultural Policy Paper, MOA, Gaborone. decision makers if necessary. The recent furore Pike, J.G. (1971). Rainfall and evaporation in over the Boro dredging has shown that, what- Botswana. UNI)P Technical Document 1, ever the rights and wrongs of tile particular Gaborone. issue, a united voice can influence decisions Sandford, S.(1978). Towards a definition of made from above. drought. In: Proceedings of the Symposium In other words a National Conservation on Drought in Botswana, pp 33-40. Botswana Strategy in government is not enough, it :e- Society/Clark University Press. quires awareness and active participation at Segosebe, E.M. and Van Der Post, C. (1990). every level In society. Urban Industrial solid waste pollution in Botswana: practice, attitudes and policy References recommendations. Unpub. report, Depart Arntzen, J.W. and Veenendaai, F-.M. (1986). A ment of Environmental Science, University of Profile of Environment and Development in Botswana. Botswana. IES, Free University: Amsterdam Thomas, D.S.G. and Shaw, P.A. (1991). The and NIR: University of Botswana. 172 pp. Kalahari Environment. Cambridge University Botswana Society (1984). The Management of Press, 284 pp. the Botswana Environment. Proceedings of a Tyson, P.D. (1986). Climatic Change and Vail Workshop, Gaborone, 1984. Botswana ability in Southern Africa. Oxford University Society (1986). Press, 220 pp. Botswana Society (1986) Developing our Envi- Yeager, R. (1989). Demographic pluralism and ronmental Strategy. Proceedings of a Work- ecological crisis in Botswana. Journal of shop, Gaborone, 1986. Developing Areas 23: 385-404.

35 ANational Planning Conference Environmental Activities in Botswana Seeiso Liphuko Executive Secretary, NCS CoordinatingAgency

Introduction whether the land tenure system, dual grazing The subject of this paper isa discussion of rights, and the availability of cheap water to current Government activities relating to natural borehole users contribute to overgrazing. resources conservation and environmental The shortage of wood is most acute around protection. We will discuss some of the envi- the urban areas and the major villages where ronmental problems which Botswana presently demand isgreatest. The decline In the amount experiences and the commendable efforts which of rainfall in the past years has aggravated the are being undertaken by some Government problem. Wood resources are under pressure departments. The role of the Natural Resources from various uses such as fuel and building Board will also be related to these efforts. materials. The main concern relating to the depletion of wood in the urban areas Is cost Environmental issues while in the rural areas it isdistance from It isdifficult to discuss current activities sources and the time involved In collecting without first establishing the context within wood. In addition, there are the environmental which they are taking place. The problems effects of wood depletion which occur in con leading to the formulation of the National junction with overgrazing. Conservation Strategy have been discussed Veld products are Important because of their extensively over the last few years and will again commercial and subsistence contribution. The be elaborated at this conference2. Consequently, exact extent of their depletion isdifficult to for the purpose of this discussion, I shall refer to quantify, but depletion takes place at national them only briefly in order to set our main and regional levels and affects resources such as subject in context. These problems relate to: thatching grass, mokola palm, and the grapple water resources, rangeland, wood resources, veld plant. The main constraints to the full utilisa products, wildlife, pollution and population. tion of veld products include infrastructural and The use of water has increased significantly marketing problems. over the last few years. The main contributory Although the country sustains large numbers factors have been growing human and livestock of wildlife, there isconcern over declining populations. There are two key concerns which populations in many areas. It ishowever un relate to water resources, namely pressure on clear whether decline isprimarily attributable to supply and pollution. Rapid demand has re- the veterinary fences which have been con sulted from population growth, urbanisation, structed to control livestock diseases or to other and industrialisation. Pollution results largely factors such as shortage of grazing and poach from ground water contamination near large ing. There Is concern over the declining wildlife settlements. Another concer.1 relating to water populations since this could jeopardise the isthe mismatch between deir.-nd and supply opportunity to fully utillse this resource. areas which Is likely to make tie procurement of In addition to the destabilising effect of future water supplies very costly. Most of the resource over-exploitation, pollution may reduce resources are in the north of the country while the productivity of ecosystems. This threat Is much of the demand isin the south. Other relatively minor in Botswana, but It is one which issues relate to the unknown quality and quan- we ought to begin to address before It .:ts out of tity of ground water as well as recharge rates. control. Pollution affects the quality of air, Land degradation has resulted largely from water, and soil. As far as it isknown, pollution the Increase in the livestock population. The islimited to Selebi-Phikwe (air pollution), results of the process include reductions in the around large settlements (ground water pollu quantity and quality of grasses, changes in the tion), and to some industries such as tanneries condition of surface soil, the establishment of and mineral workings. It Is also evident around inferior plant species and the erosion of soil. settlements In the form of littering and indis Other questions concerning rangeland relate to criminate dumping.

Environmental Education 36 The last of the major environmental issues is It ought to be noted though that while our population. Among the most Important features society depends on the many ecological re of the population of Botswana are its very rapid sources already referred to for survival, at the growth, very young composition, unbalanced national level, carrying capacity Is ultimately sex structure and uneven spatial distribution, determined by the single vital resource In least The national rate of growth averages about 3,5 supply. For example, although we might have a percent per annum. The population structure number of resources such as grazing, wildlife, has in-built growth momentum because of the and water, the shortage of only one of them is large numbers of females. Therefore, even if each sufficient to drastically affect our livelihood. female has few children, tile growth would still The principle of sustainable development also be substantial. The concurrent decline in mor- suggests that the maintenance of equity between tality, especially of infants, has made the age generations and social groups, self determina composition of the population increasingly tion, and participation are important ways of younger. This youth not only has important ensuring that development is attained. This is implications for the future demand of resources, because people only participate in conservation but also means that the population will grow if they are part of the process and gain from it. under its own momentum for a long time, The preceding ideas are very relevant to us. because of the large number of potential child The use of natural resources is growing and with bearers. regard to some of the resources such as water, Together with this process or rejuvenation, a grazing and wildlife, there is concern in some spatial shift of the population has occurred from areas that we may be exceeding sustainable rates rural areas to the major villages and urban areas. of use. Such overuse may lead to the depletion Soon the urban population isexpected to ac- of resources and to the reduction of species. In count for about 32 percent of the national the long term, this could lead to the destruction population. Despite strong urbanisation trends, and extinction of complete ecosystems and may about 85 percent of the population is essentially ultimately undermine the ability of the rural and continues to place great demand on ecosphere to produce the type of environment agricultural and wood resources. While the necessary to sustain current living standards. absolute growth of the population has had an In Botswana, sustainable development is to adverse effect on the state of natural resources, be attained through a number of development the problem emanates less from that fact and and conservation goals. The development goals more from the rural character of the population are: and the resource needs which that character implies. The problems caused by an expanding * the development of new and better natural population are central to the National Conserva- resource uses which are sustainable tion Strategy and to national development in • the optimisation of the existing uses which general. Resource imbalances are likely to occur are made of all natural resources; if population pressure continues. e the development of multiple as opposed to single purpose, natural resource uses; Environmental principles of note * diversification in order to create jobs; Because of the complexity and Interrelated- - increased education and participation by all ness of the preceding problems, Government members of the society in Improving the has prepared a conservation strategy designed to environment; address them. The main assumption underlying * the development of links with neighbouring the conservation strategy is the principle of countries in conserving resources; sustainable development. in general terms, the • the establishment of a balance between principle implies that our generation should use population growth and the supply of natural no more than the annual yield of renewable resources. resources so that future generations may have access to capital stocks of natural resources The conservation goals are: similar to those currently available. A closely related concept is that of carrying • the conservation of main ecosystems, wildlife capacity which is the maximum rate of resource and cultural resources; consumption and waste discharge that can be - the protection of endangered species sustained indefinitely without Impairing eco- * the maintenance of stocks of renewable logical productivity. In simple terms, tile Idea resources while Increasing their sustainable means that there is a limit to the rate of resource yields; use and waste production that can take place * the use of exhaustible resources at optimal without reducing both the stock of natural rates; capital and the rate at which it can regenerate. * the distribution of incomes and rewards more

37 A National Planning Conference equitably In the Interest of conserving natu- National Conservation Strategy projects ral resources; A number of projects to be implemented a the restoration of renewable natural re- under the NCS have been formulated. Through sources; the implementation of such projects covering * the prevention and control of pollution, the forestry sector, veld products, wildlife and national parks, and land rehabilitation, Institutional as well provisions as through the use of seminars, a number of The magnitude of our environmental prob- benefits which fall into three categories lems and the goals we seek to achieve have namely conservation, environment/develop justified the Introduction of new Institutions to ment and community benefits--are envisaged. Implement the strategy. Government is now In The expected conservation benefits include the process of establishing a Natural Resources reductions in loss of natural areas; Increase In Board and Its Secretariat. Its major responsibili- the numbers of endangered wildlife species, the ties will be: restoration of degraded rangelands and eroded areas and the protection * to develop of natural and cultural and coordinate environmental areas of outstanding beauty. Anumber of pro policy matters within Government jects covering wildlife utilisation, land rehabili * to establish an effective chain of Implementa- tation, and reforestation are also envisaged and tion from central Government to village their specific locations will be determined. level; Economic diversification which " to encourage Is expected to natural resources development result from the implementation of the strategy Initiatives at all levels, will help enhance both the economic and phy sical environments. The NCS seeks to generate The Natural Resources Board will not take new industries and investment opportunities. away the existing functions of the various Both rural and urban communities are expected Government bodies. The task of the Agency will to benefit economically. Community participa be to advise, coordinate, monitor, and cooperate tion in the implementation of projects Is re with Government institutions. However, in garded as essential to the NCS's success and will addition, it will take initiatives currently not be encouraged. addressed such as environmental awareness Education, persuasion and consultation were building, the preparation of environmental central to the preparation of the National Con impact statements and State of the Environment servation Strategy and will continue to be im reports. portant during its Implementation. There has Another dedsion relating to conservation been a lot of discussion of environmental Issues institutions which will be made in due course over the last five years and this has helped raise relates to the membership of the NCS Advisory awareness. However, public awareness about Board. Its main responsibility will be to cooper- the importance of sustainable development ate with Government and non-governmental through annual environmental award schemes Institutions in the interest of ensuring that the and other programmes will be encouraged. intentions of Government concerning environ- Such schemes will have wide coverage in mental conservation and improvement are villages, urban settlements, schools and youth achieved. The Board will have wide representa- clubs. It is the view of the conservation strategy tion, possibly including central government that education must involve the yourh, public institutions, the private sector, parastatals, local servants, political leaders and all strata of soci authorities, and non-governmental organisa- ety. In order to achieve this, a number of activi tions. 'ies for both formal and non formal education Legislation establishing both the Board and are envisaged. It is expected that such activities its secretariat will be prepared. The main pur- will include radio plays, the use of popular pose of the legislation will be to define the theatre, as well as tree planting competitions to duties and functions of the secretariat and the encourage participation. It is our view that no Board, as well as their relationships with each conservation effort is sustainable If the aware other, and with other Government institutions. ness programme is either lacking or Inadequate. The final institutional change will be the ap pointment of environmental liaison officers In Environmental activities by other Government ministries whose main task will be departments to ensure that policies of their respective minis- In addition to the activities resulting directly ters are In accordance with the requirements of from the NCS, Important developments which the National Conservation Strategy. have taken place through the Initiative of other government departments Include the formula tion of policies on tourism, agriculture, and Environmental Education 38 wildlife, as well as initiatives in forestry and some districts for use in the expansion of nurser sanitation. These policies will be supported and les and woodlots. encouraged by the Natural Resources Board. Finally, the problem of Inadequate sanitation First, the 1990 policy on agriculture has been Is being addressed through the Accelerated Land developed as a result of the poor performance of Servicing Programme. It is felt that the high the sector in terms of both productivity and population densities achieved in the Self Help ecological sustainability. Agriculture policy now Housing Areas makes pit latrines unsuitable on seeks to increase product!vity with minimum health and environmental grounds. For both adverse effects on natural resources and the health and environmental reasons, the provi environment. In order to implement the policy, sion of sewerage and on-plot water will be an assessment of land suitability and monitoring extended to all types of residential plots In the of range conditions will be carried out to pre- urban areas. In the rural areas, the sanitation vent degradation of land resources that can programme Involves the provision of Improved result from unsustainable agricultural manage- pit latrines through a subsidised self help ment practices. To date some soil mapping has scheme. The objective is to reduce the Incidence been done. In addition, fencing in the commu- of diseases as well as to support wider primary nal areas has been agreed upon to improve health care and environmental protection livestock management. The exclusive use of programmes. It is expected that access to basic land by individuals and groups is expected to sanitation in rural areas will be Increased from improve the use of range resources. the current estimate of one quarter of house Second, the wildlife conservation policy seeks holds. Greater attention will be placed on to realise the full benefits of wildlife by conserv- health education and social mobilisatlon in ing wildlife as a resource and by developing a order to encourage people to help themselves. commercial wildlife industry thus creating The interface between conservation of the employment. The policy on tourism too seeks to natural resources of Botswana and the executive generate employment and raise rural income. responsibilities of the line ministries and depart Both policies recognise that the sustainability of ments is self-evident. The need for cooperation conservation depends on economic develop- cannot be sufficiently underscol'ed. In this ment and Improvement in the lives of people. context, the need for awareness building Is Third, a programme to strengthen the capac- crucial. That activity will be fosteied by the ity of the Agricultural Resources Board to pre- Natural Resources Board in Government In order vent and control bush fires more effectively to engender a profound awareness and willing through a network of firebreaks commenced in ness to marry conservation and development in 1990. The establishment of fire control units our efforts at a rising the standard of life of our covering the whole country is now taking place. people. We must spare no institution, no Fourth, a Forestry Development programme person, no organisation In our drive to raise has been proposed to address problems of awareness so that our policy formulation, fuelwood scarcity, widespread deforestation and project development and the use of our natural land degradation. A forest inventory pro- resources should be environment friendly. gramme is already underway and will form the Environmental hooliganism should be undercut basis of a management plan for the Chobe through awareness building. forests. In addition, land has been secured in Thank you, Pula.

39 ANational Planning Conference Environment and development Sandra H Cooper Lecturer, Department ofEnvironmental Science, UniversityofBotswana

I have been asked to speak to you about and economy, a state of mind and body that just environment and development. As an environ- isn't so. Ifmore an(! bigger mental were valid Indicators land use planner, Iam glad to talk about of perfected development, would this topic and to share the rates of with you both my under- drug use and crime in these societies be so standing and my concerns high about the 2nviron- and climbing? Ithink not. The consideration of ment as it affects development ind is affected by cnvironment in the development development. of natural resources can no longer be regarded as a At the outset I would discre like to say that it is not tionary exercise when their exploitation is being my Intent here to criticize the Government of planned and managed. Botswana. The consequences of If I we, . to level criticism at particu- environmental disregard are ia- all too evident: air governments, it would be at the governments pollution choking our cities; of the surface water devLoped wodd, whatever that term supplies carrying harmful chemicals "developed" means. or valuable It is the governments of soil from denuded lands to oceans and estuaries developed economies-the economies of the that can no longer assimilate West or the North, the wastes and however one wants to geo- sediments; an atmosphere perhaps Irreversibly graphically locate and label them-who have altered by man's earthly created activities. The list Is the models of development that stress long. The adverse effects of environmental high consumption and environmental disregard mismanagement on the health and well-being and who have peddled of these models across the man and other living species are well docu globe as gospel. It Is these development mod- mented. els-the same ones that their salesmen apply at Arecent issue of Newsweek, an American home to the detriment of the environment- publication, touts the that have convinced Invention of an anti everyone in the world that pollution mask that makes the smoggy air more more Isbetter and Ifmore Isn't better, then breathable in Los Angeles bigger and Mexico City, for certainly is. And it IsIn our relentless example. It only costs $8.00, quest iscomfortable to for more and bigger that we have reached wear, and can be used for eight or are over-reaching to ten days the limits of the environ- (1,rnsberger, Jr., 1991). Whoever said that merit. We in the developed world have consist- technology cannot provide ently us with ready solu and callously ignored the environment for tions to the mess we are making most of this planet? of the history of our development activi- Anasty disease known as ties, initially Parkinson's Dis because we just didn't know any ease-an affliction that slowly destroys better and more recently the because we thought we brain-has been linked to groundwater contaml couldn't afford the luxury of considering the nated with fertilizer and environment pesticide residues in our economic decisions. After (Cowley and Crandall 1990, 44). Fertilizers all, what did it matter and that tie skies i our cities pesticldes are part and parcel of modern agricul were no longer blue or that we couldn't swim in ture, mostly because we persist In overusing our some of our streams and rivers because of the soils by continual ploughing filth? We 'thought and by further that the winds would move abusing them with heavy applications of chemi out the air pollution from the cities and the cals-fertilizers, pesticides, rains herbicides, would wash away the chemicals in our fungicides, rodenticides, to waters. name the most popular "cides". We must rely on fertilizers and Let me add here that I am really uncomfort- pesticides to able compensate for the annual 24 using the descriptors "developed" and billion tons of topsoil lost globaily "developing" from erosion because the former implies that (Brown 1990, 3) and to maintain North America, high produc Europe and parts of Asia have tion levels, so their continued use isprobable reached that point where the needs and desires and their increased appearance In groundwater of their citizenry have been equally and equita- resources very likely. There may be a concomi bly met, by achieving a fully developed society

Environmental Education 40 tant rise in the frequency of Parkinson's Disease, To better understand the words "environ across the globe wherever modern production ment" and "development" In the context used techniques replace less capital-intensive forms of here, definitions are useful. I will make use of agriculture, the definitions contained In a publication We know that our atmospheri2 performs entitled 'Environment and Development', by several important functions, one of which is to Peter Bartelmus. keep planet Earth at a temperature capable of Environment Is defined by Bartelmus as "the supporting life. Without the optimal mantle of external conditions and 'nfluences affecting the gases that surround our planet, too much of the life and development of organisms", a definition sun's radiation might be trapped as it Is on that includes man and the multitude of other Venus, or too much of the sun's heat energy life forms that inhabit this planet (Bartelmus might escape back into space as It does on Mars. 1986, 1). These external conditions and influ The Earth's atmosphere regulates this energy- ences emanate from earth's lithosphere, hydro exchange process by allowing some of the sun's sphere and atmosphere, all of which make up radiation to move back into space and by trap- the biosphere where life can exist. ping some of it, thereby keeping the Earth's Let me define these terms so that a common temperature neither too hot nor too cold. This understanding can be shared. The lithosphere is natural process, known as the "greenhouse composed of the rocks, sediments, mantel and effect" is governed by the composition of gases core of the earth; the hydrosphere is made up of in the atmosphere. We know that the composi- its oceans, lakes, rivers, icecaps and other water tion of our atmosphere is changing: measurable bodies; and finally, the atmosphere, the gaseous increases in carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous mantle surrounding the earth that was men oxide, and ozone have occurred since the Indus- tioned earlier in the discussion of global warm trial revolution. With this change in the gase- ing (Bartelmus 1986, 1; Odum 1975, 4). ous composition of the atmosphere and the Eugene Odum, a well-known contemporary addition of new ones-namely, chlorofluoro- ecologist, dfines biosphere as "the term for all carbons (CFCs)-the natural dynamic- of the of the earth's ecosystems functioning together greenhouse effect is changing. The Earth is on a global scale" (Odum 1975, 4). The living warming: it has "warmed by more than half a and nonliving components of an area that degree centigrade (0,5 0C) since the mid-1800s" function together make up what ecologists (Boyle and Ardill 1989, 9). Current projections describe as an ecosystem. are for "an increase in global mean temperatures The biosphere is our life-support system and of 40C by the year 2030 (Gribbin, 1990, 133). it is where we pursue our economic activities, The implications of this warming trend are developing the natural resources available in the the subject for many recent books. I leave you to lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere for pick out one to read. But as one imminent man's benefit. Development is defined by oceanographer remarked in 1957 at the time Bartelnus as "a process that attempts to improve that the build-up of carbon dioxide In the air the living conditions of people" (Bartelmus was first suspected: "human beings are now 1986, 3). Unfortunately this process as it has carrying out a large-scale geophysical experi- been practiced calls Into question the very ment" (Gribbin, 1990, 91), and one with an intent of our attempts to improve the long-term outcome that is difficult to predict. living conditions of people, because the process One of the culprit gases and the one that we of development has tended to degrade the hear the most about in global warming is carbon biosphere-the support system of all life on dioxide. The emissions from the cars we drive Earth. and the industries we build-the underpinnings We have regarded the lithosphere, hydro of economic development -are overloading the sphere, and atmosphere-the "commons"-as atmosphere with carbon dioxide. We know massive, cost-free unlimited disposal places what we have to do-we must reduce carbon where we can dump our wastes, our effluent, dioxide emissions immediately by reducing our and our emissions. The commons, whether they combustion of fossil fuels. We must replant our are commonly owned grazing lands or a com depleted forests to restore the carbon balance. monly shared atmosphere, are distinguished by But I drove my car here today; I suspect that the "absence of specific proprietary ownership most people in this room drove here today. We and consequent freedom of access to all" know the problems; we know the solutions. The (O'Riordan and Turner 1983, 266). The blo problem is one of learning new behaviors, of sphere-particularly, its air and its waters-is modifying old patterns to fit new circumstances, common to all; it Is "not legally owned by any This Isthe real challenge of environmental single Individual or nation state" (O'Riordan education and the true test of how su:r.essful we and 'Furner 1983, 266). We discharge our wastes are as environmental educators. into the biosphere individually and collectively

41 A National Planning Conference under the ass'4mption that the assimilative condition that is physically impossible to attain, capacity of the commons is unlimited, princi- by the way-was an invitation to disaster. Some pally because we "cannot comprehend the of the sites were claimed to be state of the art adverse nature of the sum total" of our output when they were given planning approval, a state (O'Rlordan and Turner 1983, 280). of the art not without its Informed critics In order but to limit the free access to the com- one with clear cost advantages over more expen mons and to prevent their continued abuse, we sive methods, like waste reduction through manage them by government Intervention: production-process modification. laws, regulations, restrictions, standards, and So we saved money for the producers, the controls are the tools we use to achieve better disposers, and ultimately the consumers by management, applying them with varying upting for the least-cost alternative. What we degrees of success to the economic development neglected to factor into our calculations were of natural resources. These intervention meas- the costs of cleaning up leaking, abandoned, or ures can only work up to a point: how do we decommissioned sites. Had the clean-up costs prevent to someone from driving a vehicle across future generations been included in the Initial the fragile sand dunes of a remote area like the analyses of costs and benefits, the least.cost Skeleton Coast In Namibia or how do we pre- alternative selected would have become the vent someone from tossing out a Lion beei can highest-cost non-starter. In the middle of Khutse Game Reserve? We We are now left with the enormous task of can't, because we can't police the behavior of figuring out how we clean up these sites, first, everyone at all times, particularly when the because we really don't know how to decon offender Is alone without witnesses. In these taminate millions of tons of contaminated soil instances and countless others like them, we or how to purify polluted groundwater and, must rely on personal control, a system of second, because we don't have the public funds personal ethics and environmental values that available to cover the costs of clean-up. You operate irrespective of social scrutiny. This may have read about the ratl. 2r sizeable budget personal behavior "involves the development of deficit we have in the United States. We chose an environmental conscience that operates the short-term benefits of low-cost disposal when and one is alone" (O'Rlordan and Turner 1983, ignored the long-term benefits of environmental 284). The development of an environmental protection, demonstrating the human propen conscience seems to be yet another challenge sity of piefering immediate rather than deferred and task of environment education, return on investment. Furthermore, in pursuing development, we In this regard, the developing countries have have discovered that the economic benefits we an advantage. The developed countries have gain are too frequently short-term; that is, made many cstly mistakes and have designed because of the time horizon we use in making technologies to correct or avoid the blunders of our development decisions. Time preference is the past. The technologies now available for the an economic concept, one that is used when we reduction and disposal of solid and hazardous undertake an economic cost-benefit analysis. In wastes are far superior to the ones that led to such an analysis, future costs and benefits are that waste crisis in the U.S.. typically discounted or downgraded, because if There is really no cxcuse f',or the way in which "offered a unit of benefit now rather than later, solid and hazardous wastes are being disposed of the expectation Is that (individuals) will still here in Gaborone, givek, the information we prefer to have the benefit now" (Pearce and have about proper disposal. The unregulated Nash 1981, 41). We humans seem to prefer a disposal at the Gaborone dump of toxic and short-term time horizon. We want our gain hazardous materials, which are then openly quickly; we do not want to defer the returns on burned within the confines of an urban area, investment is until the distant future, at once a guaranteed way to increase the Inci Our discovery Isthat short-term economic dence of respiratory disease and to benefits introduce can become long-term environmental known carcinogens into groundwater where costs. The example of hazardous waste disposal they will remain until they are consumed. Why in the United States is classic. The costs of this envircnmental travesty has been allowed to cleaning up thousands of sites, both authorized continue is difficult to comprehend. Is it the and unauthorized, reportedly range upward to failure of technology transfer, in this instance a $22 billion, which Is the most recent figure I've technology that is readily transferred? Or Is It heard. Many of these sites are very old, estab- the unwillingness to incorporate the costs of lished before we understood the persistent and environmental protection into financial ac pernicious quality of the materials we were counting now, choosing instead of defer these disposing of and before we understood that land costs until the future when remedial action will disposal without permanent containment-a be required? The future, proportional costs of Environmental Education 42 disposal clean-up and health care-and the whether now or in the future, is to be satisfied subsequent lost human productivity-will be no from a finite resource base- and the Earth's less for Botswana than they are for the U.S. resource base is finite-we must check the Somewhat belatedly, we have come to realize numerical Increase of our population now. the consequence of our attitude towards the Sustainable development in which the needs of environment and we now seek to develop future generations are not compromised is natural resources within the framework of the simply untenable in light of global population environment by utilizing "sustainable develop- Increase as It is occurring presently in Africa, or ment", an approach to development that "meets in India, Latin America, and parts of Asia. How the needs of the present without compromising can we possibly expect to assure future genera the ability of future generations to met their tions that their needs will be met without own needs" (World Commission on Environ- compromise, when the present generation Is ment and Development 1987, 8). The term annually adding millions to the pool of future "sustainable development" has become the consumers? We can't. The problem of popula buzz-word of the 1990s, in part, because of the tion growth-growth beyond replacement, I prominence given the concept in the World might add-is given over to the developing Conservation Strategy released by the IUCN in countries to solve, if sustainable development Is 1980 and, in part, because it makes good sense to work in practice, and not just in theory. to think about the needs of future generations. Assuming that the issues of need and number But two problems attend the successful can be resolved, let us go on to see how we application of sustainable development: the frst might realize sustainable development. One of is that of defining needs. How do we define the tools used In implementing sustainable "needs?" Is it according to the prevailing atti- development is the environmental Impact tude of needs and wants In western societies, assessment (EIA). With Its use, we are able to where more and bigger shape perceptions of identify, predict, and mitigate or enhance the need? Or do we define them according to adverse or beneficial Impacts to the biophysical, Abraham Maslow, a psychologist who created sodoeconomic, and archaeological environment the hierarchy of needs to describe the path to prior to development. EIA Is a process and It Is self-actualization, a state of being where having an attitude, as a speaker at a recent conference more bigger material goods are unn,'cessary to here in Gaborone suggested. It is a process the attainment of personal fulfillment and because there are certain stages in its implemen spiritual growth. In Maslow's view, the founda- tation-stages that I will briefly discuss here tion for self-actualization Is the satisfaction of today. The stages Include: basic needs, Into which he includes physiologi cal needs (air, water, food, shelter, sleep, and • screening proposed projects, programmes, or sex) and safety and security needs (Goble 1970, policies to determine which will require an 52). EIA; Maslow's basic needs do not differ radically * scoping to Identify the important Issues and from those articulated In the 1974 Cocoyoc concerns to be addressed In the EIA; Declaration that attempted to shift the emphasis • impact identification in which the likely of development from national economcis-gross environmental impacts are Identified for national product, GNP-to human well-being, detailed Investigation, bearing in mind that The Declaratior pointed out that "Human the term environment encompasses the beings have ba I1c needs: food, shelter, clothing, biophysical, socioeconomic, and archaeologi health, education" (Conyers and Hills 1984, 27) cal conditions that may be affected; Fulfilling these basic needs, according to the ° impact prediction and quantification during Declaration, had to be the primary objective of which the character, quality, and magnitude development. The question of need is one that of the Impacts are predicted-beneficial or must be laid at the doorstep of developed econo- adverse?, long-term or short-term?, reversible mies, where inflated need satisfaction ultimately or irreversible?, local or regional?-and translates into increased energy and materials changes in the :tate of the environment are consumption. Consumers In North America, measured; Europe and Japan have to reduce their excessive ° impact mitigation or enhancement by which consumption, If the consumption prerogatives measures to ameliorate or augment negative of developing-country consumers are to be met and positive Impacts are designed to prevent with equity. harmful Impacts and facilitate beneficial Asecond problem that must be addressed ones; before sustainable development becomes a truly • and, finally, impact monitoring during which viable strategy for development Is the matter of the mitigation or enhancement measures are population growth. If consumption demand, observed to determine their efficacy In 43 ANational Planning Conference achieving their purpose and to provide "an commitment to environmental protection early warning from of environmental damage so public and private sectors alike. The recommen that actions may be taken, If possible to dations offered In an EIA prevent must be given equal or reduce the seriousness of the weight in decision making, and unwanted no longer Impact" (Bisset 1987, 7). relegated to the back seat while economics continues to drive Two of the the engines of growth and most important features of the development. We either decide to take EIA EIA process are the consideration of alternatives seriously or we decide to forego the gesture and and the involvement of the public. The first- save otherwise wasted the consideration paper. of alternatives-is vital to the Having briefly outlined the virtues of Integrity of the EIA for process, because without Identi- you, let me now turn to environment and fying and evaluating alternatives to a proposed development In Botswana. project, In formulating and whether it be alternate designs, loca- adopting her National Conservation tions, Strategy in or L.onfigurations, we get locked into the December 1990, Botswana at notion that there once embraced the isonly one way to accomplish concept of sustainable development and the our goal. And If there is only one way to get application of environmental where impact assessment we want to go, we are willing to pay high to future development. Section environmental, 1.5 of the and sometimes even economic, September 1990 document about the Botswana costs. National Conservation The Strategy discusses the case of the Metsemotlhaba Transfer Importance of sustainable development, Scheme illustrates enu the value of alternatives. merating six reasons for fts value: in brief, Initially two water Impoundments were pro posed to augment the water supply for * the important roles that natural resources Gaborone, one to be built on the Metsemo- play in thc nation's economy, society, and tihaba River outside of Thamaga and the other on culture; the Kolobeng River near Kumakwane. When * the comp!ementary relationship an alterntive between site at Bokaa was evaluated, it was development and resource conservation; found that a holding reservoir on the Metsemo- a the use of natural resources on a sustainable tlhaba River in tandem with a water transfer yield basis; scheme from the reservoir at Bokaa to the Gabo- a the increase in sustainable rone Dame yields and re would both reduce the costs of source carrying capacities by Improved construction and compensation by an estimated management; P30,3 million and the amount of riverine lands 9 the importance of equal lost to clearing weighing to the by approximately 300 hectares needs of future and present-day populations; (University of Botswana 1990a, Table 1). So the and, Bokaa alternative was selected and the project is e the assurance that trade-offs are complete, made where for all intents and purposes. development is unavoidably required The second feature of at the EIA is the involvement expense of natural resources (Government of of the public and the importance of this aspect Botswana 1990, 3-4). should not be utiderestimated. The public, particularly those who are directly affected by a Section 1.5 concludes by stating that: proposed project, should The be partners in the principle of sustainable development is also process of identifying and evaluating potential valued because its observance calls for compre environmental impacts for several reasons. First hensive evaluation of environmental and and foremost, people eco living in or near the areas nomic implications before major new develop where development is proposed are the most ment are undertaken (Government of Botswana knowledgeable about local issues and concerns, 1990, 4). Comprehensive evaluation of environ both of which form the basis cf subsequent mental Implications are to be Institutionalized identification of impacts that require further by "making the preparation of both Environ investigation. Secondly, they will be the direct mental Impact Assessment (EIA) and associated recipients of any environmental costs and Statements mandatory for all public and private benefits associated with project development, developers, in respect of schedules classes Their involvement and of counsel in the early development projects and actions.... In future, stages of project feasibility and environmental preparation (of EIAs) should become part of the assessment can contribute to sound, successful forn:al planning approval process" (Government design and Implementation, with greater ben- of Plotswana 1990, 44). Legislation efits than costs Is to be to affected groups. enacted, legislation that will authorize stiff I mentioned that EIA Isboth a process and an penalties for EIA attitude. non-compliance, I hope. If It is to be more than a jobs program Finally, Section 7.4.5 of or empty this same document rhetoric, EIA requires an attitude of underscores both the need for legislatively Environmental Education 44 Developing students' environmental awareness can be as simple as getting outside the classroom and allowing them to enjoy the natural world.

mandated EIA preparation and the purpose of the EIA. To wit: "The purpose of such an assess ment is to enable 'the competent authority' (Ministry/Departunent/District Office) to arrive at decisions on development proj.ts with the t benefit of a full understanding oi '.a:c environ mental as well as the economic and social costs, which will be incurred in both the short- and long-term" (Government of Botswana 1990, 72). Acase study of the Northern Plain in the Mpandamatenga area illustrates the use and value of EIA to forewarn decision-makers in the public sector of the consequences to the envi ronment from extending commercial farming to this undisturbed vertisol grassland. Located in the northern part of Botswana near the village of Mpandamatenga, the commercial farming project is currently centered on two pans- Southern and Central Plains-with a third pan- Northern Plain-included in the development plans, but where land allocation and clearing have not yet occurred. The project is based upon the fertility and abundance of the clay soils in the pans, with more than 100 000 hectares of land thought to be arable. Arable agriculture is not new to Mpandamatenga, however. Accord ing to a recent article in Newslink, the Colonial Development Corporation (CDC) opened the area for maize and livestock production in the early 1950s, clearing a 100 square-mile area of vegetation and killing 25 000 tsessebe in one week to establish the production scheme (Tsiako 1991, 12). The scheme failed and it failed badly: the cattle died and the maize withered because of "the unsuitability of the black cotton soils and poor management by the British project managers" (Tsiako 1991, 12). The experiment was an expensive one, costing the CDC approxi. mately 25 million pounds (in 1950 values) (Tsiako 1991, 12). In the mid-1980s, the Botswana government 4" decided to try its hand at arable agriculture at Mpandamatenga in an attempt to achieve greater self-sufficiency in basic food crops. To this end, large-scale commercial farming was emphasized and, in early 1983, commercial farmers were allocated 500-hectare plots on a leasehold basis. By late 1989, 24 000 hectares in the Central and Southern Plains had been allocated to commercial farming. The preferred crop for cultivation is sorghum, . because of "agronomic suitability and the fact that Iscommands the highest grain price subsidy" (Arup-Atkins International 1990a, 2). The

45 ANational Planning Conference ptoblem with sorghum Is an over-supply, so comprising the Pinal Report on the much so that a recent controversy about sor- Pandamatenga Development Stud, that was ghum centered around Its questionable quality released in February 1990. In addition to assess- after being held In storage for over two years Ing Impacts from agricultural development on (Inger 1991, 6). the area's soils, water and drainage, vegetation, But regardless of sorghum surpluses, the forests, wildlife, public health, and archaeology, production of It and other crops raised at the 1990 EIA d!scussed wildlife-utilization Mpandamatenga-malze and sunflower, both in options, vegetation on the Northern P1ahii, limited quantities-Is at best problematic and electrified game fencing, pesticide utilization, beset with problems. The vertisols of the pans hydrogeology and water quality, and forestry are fertile but they are difficult soils to manage. development. Vertisols "usually have a loose surface mulch The three documents mentioned above have when dry, but below this they are hard and been summarized In the form of a case study cloddy. When wet the soils become very sticky" that we use for our EIA inservice training courses (Arup-Atkins International 1990b, 1-1). Rains at the University of Botswana. I will make use of can turn the ploughed fields Into quagmires, this case study today in presenting the EIA bringing mechanical tillage equipment to a halt. findings and recommendations. Time limita An earlier study of the farming project com- tions dictate that I mention only a few of the mented that "there are few years which are most Important, however. neither too dry nor too wet, and it is far from rare to encounter both conditions at different Water pollution times in the same season" (Arup-Atkins Interna- "Use of agrochemicals on the commercial tional 1988, 1-1). farms has increased In the last few years, and Crop pests and diseaso,--not to mention there is concern over possible contamination of vertebrate pests like rodents and birds-have both surface and underground water. A wide persistently plagued planted areas. Sorghum leaf range of pesticides has been applied to tackle blight, which can be combated most cost- various pest problems Including control of rats, effectively by rotating crops-a difficult proposi- quelea, boliworm, aphids and termites. Some of tion in Mpandamatenga where sorghum is the the chemicals used are highly toxic and others principal crop, appeared in the late 1980s to persist in the environment for a long time and reduce already low crop yields. can become concentrated via food chains. Mpandamatenga is far removed from existing Although the vertisol clays are imperm-eable, service centers, like Francistown, Gaborone, or and the pesticides are likely to adhere tightly to Bulawayo, where spare parts for farm equipment clay particles, contamination of nearby water are to be had, the time spent locating and courses may occur following erosion of surface fetching spare parts is compounded by the time soil during the heavy rains. Boreholes serving lost from the field either tilling, planting, or commercial farms are located on the edge of the weeding. pan areas, near the aquifer recharge zone. Some BecaL'se of the production problems and low of these are flooded in the wet season resulting yields, "many commercial enterprises are in in the possibility of groundwater contamination financial difficulties," with about P20 million of by agro-chemicals. Lack of proper sanitation to government investment at risk (Arup-Atkins serve the Increased population in Mpandama 1990a, 4). Without improved harvests of diver- tenga village has resulted in bacterial contami sified crops, Including maize, sunflower, and nation of the village borehole water supply. sorghum, and improved farm management, the Fertilizers could potentially cause eutrophication development study completed in February 1990 (nutrient enrichment) in pools and downstream concluded that "the future prospects for watercourses and health problems associated Pandamatenga are clearly poor" (Arup-Atkins with high nitrate levels in water supplies" International 1990a, 7). (University of Botswana 1990b, 12-13). With that short but telling introduction to In 1988-1989, twenty-one different kinds of the Mpandamatenga schere, let me take you to pesticides and related chemicals were in use on tile findings of the several EIAs that have been the commercial farms at Mpandamatenga, completed, all done after-the-fact because the ranging from Aidrin which is one of the most project was started before any comprehensive persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons yet devised planning and environmental assessment were by man to Aldicarb which is a highly toxic commissioned. The first FIA was conducted by chemical that is applied to the soil to control the Kalahari Conservation Society in 1987; the nematodes (Arup-Atkins International 1990c, 6 second as a part of the Stage 1 report or, the 3). The effects of these chemicals on wildlife are Pandamatenga Development Study. The final assessed in the EIA with particular mention and most recent FTA is one of sixteen volumes made about "persistent chemicals such as aldrin Environmental Education 46 that may have a longer term effect on the access through these areas could Isolate Kazuma environment through biomagnificalion via food Pan National Park, and parts of Chobe and chains, which might particularly affect preda- Hwange National Parks from seasonal tory raptors feeding on prey killed by pesticides" populations. Wildlife populations are likely to (University of Botswana 1990b, 13). The effects decline further as a result of reduced viability of on man vary, depending upon the level and commercial and subsistence hunting, game length of exposure and the toxicity of the viewing, and tourism in the surrounding areas chemical involved. But the results are always (due to developments), so limiting scope for deleterious to human health. I would remind wildlife utilisation in and around the study area. you that we are part of the food chain, however, If the farms are not fenced, wild animals will so wc are at risk from biomagnification. And I continue to be shot where they have been found would also remind you about the link men- to have damaged, or likely to damage farm tioned earlier between Parkinson's Disease and crops. Increased populations in the area are also pesticides in groundwater resources, likely to result In Increased Inddence of poach ing and disturbance to wildlife" (University of Public health Botswana 1990b, 13). "The total population of Mpandamatenga Is The Impacts from arable agriculture on under 30(X) yet the local health clinic already wildlife resources are manifest in the foregoing treats over 5000 individuals cases a year. Health text; they require no further explanation, except problems have increased with the recent growth to add that Northern Plain is the last remaining of the village and would oe exacerbated by vertisol grassland plain in Botswana. Losses of further development of agriculture and influx of grassland habitats specific to certain species and migrant workers. Future problems are likely to migration routes for animal species moving include spread of sexually transmitted diseases, between Botswana and Zimbabwe during the alcoholism, malnutrition, pesticide poisoning, wet and dry seasons cannot be mitigated; these and increased incidence of communicable losses are permanent and irreversible. One diseases" (University of Botswana 1990b, 14). additional explanation is necessary: reference is Aside from vector borne diseases like malaria made to fencing of the farms in order to reduce and schistosomiasis that have only marginally crop damage and wildlife shooting. Astipula increased, the most serious health problem in tion in all lease agreements signed by the com tile area is the increase of sexually transmitted mercial farmers requires that "the Grantee diseases (STI)s), with "23 percent of civilian (leaseholder) shall fence the boundaries of the males and females in Pandamatenga having leased land within 12 months of the commence clinical signs of STI)s" (Arup-Atkins fnterna- ment of this lease: (Arup-Atkins International tional 1990c, 2-1 1). The STI)s incidence may be 1990d, IV-2). To my knowledge, not one metre much higher than tile testing of these civilian of fencing has been erected since farming began males indicates, because there are around the in the mld-1980s; 120 kilometres have been same number of mostly single, sexually active called for in the development study and envi soldiers at the Botswana Defence Force camp ronmental assessment. Had the lease require near Mpandamatenga. AIDs cases have been ments been enforced, fewer crops would have reported, but their exact numbers are unknown, been damaged and fewer wild animals would Alcoholism is increasing. With nowhere to have been shot for trespassing onto cropland. go and nothing to do in Mpandamatenga, The evidence is in and it is compelling. The adcoholism is "a recognizable syndrome adverse impacts from extending arable agricul of...geographically isolated migrants who have ture onto the Northern Plain outweigh the no other outlets for spending or recreation" benefits. Elven the Pandamatenga Development (Arup-Atkins International 1990c, 2-12). Study does not "recommend expansion of large scale commercial farming into the Pandama WiLlife resources tenga Northern Plain" (Arup-Atkins Interna "Wildlife resources have already suffered tional 1990a, 18). The European Community severely during the existing development and has limited its future funding to support of similar impacts would result should the North- research only. The National Development Bank ern Plain be developed. Loss of the important is unwilling to loan more money for farm grassland plains has led to a decline in Botswa- development, since many of its current loans in na's oribi population, and in local populations the area are non-performing. of tsessebe, reedbuck, roan, sable, zebra and 'here are viable options to arable agriculture white rhinoceros. Farm settlements and related in Northern Plain that are far less destructive to developments within the ecotones are displacing the biophysical and socioeconomic environ animal species which inhabit or migrate across ment. An obvious one is wildlife utilisation, these areas. Limitation of wildlife migration and

47 A National Planning Conference including game viewing, safari hunting, and mental Impact Assessment: A Selective Survey subsistence hunting, in part for the benefit of with Case Studies". In Environmental Impact the sizeable population of Basarwa who live in Assessment for Developing Countries, eds. the area. Wildlife utilisation, particularly game Asit K. Biswas and Qu Geping. London: viewing and safari hunting, is a proven foreign Tycooly Publishing. exchange earner and is emphasised in the Boyle, Stewart, and John Ardill, 1989. The National Conservation Strategy proposals for Greenhouse Effect. London: Hodder and sustained development of the wildlife sector. Stoughton. Yet plans are afoot to extend commercial Brown, Lester, R. 1981. Building a Sustainable farming onto Northern Plain, with the help of Society. New York: W.W. Norton and Co. the Japanese Development Bank. The challenge Brown, Lester, R., 1990. The State of the World now becomes one of either heeding the warn- 1990. London: Unwin Hyman Ltd. ings or proceeding with business as usual. Will Conyers, Diana and Petei Hills, 1984. An Intro the rich, natural attributes of Northern Plain be duction to Development Planning in the forever lost in the pursuit of an illusory dream, Third World. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. one that has become an environmental night- Cowley, Geoffrey, and Rebecca Crandall, 1990. mare? Will consideration of the environment in "Bad Water, Faulty Genes". Newsweek, 3 making this development decision remain a September, 44. discretionary exercise, one that is still relegated Ernsberger, Jr., Richard, 1991. "Breathe Easier". to the seat behind economic interests? Our tasks Newsweek, 9 September 3. as environmental educators and environmental Goble, Frank G., 1970. The Third Force: The administrators are always demanding and Psychology of Abraham Maslow. New York: sometimes daunting. But for the sake of future Washington Square Press. generations, they must be done. We must hold Government of Botswana, 1990. Botswana fast to the notion that " we have not Inherited National Conservation Strategy. Gaborone. the earth from our fathers, but that we are Gribbin, John, 1990. Hothouse Earth: The borrowing it from our children" (Brown 1982, 1). Greenhouse Effect and Gala. London: Our duty is to return it to them intact, if not Transworld Publishers. improved. In so doing, we will have come full Inger, David, 1991. "BAMB sells contaminated circle from the theory of sustainable develop- sorghum". The Gazette. 5 June 1991, 6. ment to its application in word and In deed. O'Riordan, Timothy, and R. Kerry Turner, 1983. An Annotated Reader in Environmental References Planning and Management. Oxford: Arup-Atkins International, 1988. Stage I Report. Pergamon Press. Pandamatenga Development Study Final Odum, Eugene, P., 1975. Ecology: The Link Report. Gaborone, Botswana Between the Natural and the Social Sciences. Arup-Atkins International, 1990a. Executive New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Summary. Pandamatenga Development Tsiako, Douglas, 1991. "The Disaster that Is Study Final Report. Gaborone Botswana. Pandamatenga". Newslink, 14June 1991, 12. Arup-Atkins International, 1990b. Mechanisa- University of Botswana, 1990b. Case Study of tion. Pandamatenga Development Study Mpandamatenga: Environmental Impact Final Report. Gaborone Botswana. Assessment of Mpandamatenga Development Arup-Atkins international, 1990c. Environmen- Study. Gaborone: Department of Environ tal Impact Assessment. Pandamatenga mental Science. Development Study Final Report. Gaborone University of Botswana 1990a. Case Study of Botswana. Bokaa Dam: Environmental Impact Assess Arup-Atkins International, 1990d. Estate Man- ment of the Metsemotlhaba Transfer Scheme. agement and Institutions. Pandamatenga Gaborone: Department of Environmental Development Study Final Report. Gaborone Science. Botswana. World Commission on Environment and Devel Bartelmus, Peter, 1986. Environment and opment, 1987. Our Common Future. Ox Development. London: Allen and Unwin. ford: Oxford University Press. Bisset, Ronald, 1987. "Methods for Environ

Environmental Education 48 Environmental education and sustainable development UIf Carlsson Junior ProfessionalOfficer, EnvironmentalEducation and Training Unit, UNEP

Introduction More precisely you can put It as "The develop- Lets start with some definitions: What Is ment of a capadty to convert a constant level of Environmental Education and what is Sustain- natural resources Into increased satisfaction of able Development? human needs". In the latter you can sense a contradiction. Environmental education How can a constant Input give an Increased Environmental education is,of course, to output? Through efficient use of coursc! But educate people--children and adults-on envi- there is a limit to efficiency, and development ronmental matters. It can be carried out In does not know any limits. So the question Isif schools or universities, in an interdisciplinary sustainable and development are two compat way or as a subject on Its own. It can also be ible words? Issustainable development some carried out in a more non-formal way through thing achievable or is it utopia? It Isa difficult different media-radio, IV, posters, comic strips, issue, but no matter if we can achieve it or not, gatherings and clubs, sustainable development is the goal and we The main objectives of environmental must strive towards it. Development, no matter education are: if It concerns a developing or a developed country, must be as sustainable as possible. " awareness; to create an awareness among In order to come as close as possible to the individuals about the environment, with its goal of sustainable development, the Ontario assets and problems, Round Table Group has Identified the following " knowledge; to give individuals a basic under- guiding principles to meet the challenges of standing of the environment and to make sustainable development. them understand humanity's central part in the environmental problems we can see * Antidpatlon and prevention, which Includes around us, environmental considerations and environ " attitudes; to create values, attitudes, feeling mental impact assessment before dedsions and concern for the environment among are made. Individuals, 9 Full cost accounting. To take considerations " skills; to equip individuals with skills ena- like depletion of natural resources, pollution bling them to solve environmental problems, and weigh these against the output. * evaluation ability; to help individuals evalu- e Informed decision-making, integration of ate the environment and environmental environmental and economic deision measures in a holistic way, making. • participation; to create a sense of responsibil- * Living off the Interest (doing better with less). ity regarding environmental problems so as 'or example, enhanced natural resource to ensure individuals take the appropriate management, recycling and efficient energy action to solve these problems. use. * Quality over quantity. To change peoples In short the alms of environmental education attitudes and to lower their consumption. are what the people of the world should feel, * Respect foi nature and the rights of future know and do about the environment, generations.

Sustainable development The history of environmental education Amore controversial Issue Isthat of sustain- Environmental education Is not something able development. The Brundtland report new. Thousands of years ago children were defines it as "Development that meets the needs brought up by their parents and taught what of the present without compromising the ability plants and animals they could eat and how to of future generations to meet their own needs".

49 ANalional Planning Conference collect them. That is environmental educa- Many of these objectives were formulated tion-getting to know your environment, and strengthened in the Intergovernmental Environmental education became an Issue on Conference on Environmental Education In the international arena in Stockholm In 1972, at Tbilisi in 1977 and further amended and devel the UN Conference on the Human Environ- oped in the Tbilisi + 10 meeting (the Moscow ment. There it was recognised that environmen- Congress of 1987 on Fnvironmental Education tal education was a simple tool to make tile and Training). people of the globe more aware of tile environ- In these conferences it was considered that ment and more active in the protection of the environmental education should be made an same. The UN member states recommended integral part of tihe entire educational process that the Secretary General should take the and aimed at every category of the population. necessary steps to establish an International The declarations and recommendations of these programme of environmental education, inter- conferences made it possible to define the disciplinary in approach, encompassing all levels nature, objectives and pedagogical principles of of education and directed towards tile general environmental education arid to establish broad public, guidelines for action In this field at the national It was in the same conference that United and International levels. Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was Since Stockholm 1972, the environment has born and a year or two later UNEP was estab- moved to become a central issue in people's lished in Nairobi, Kenya. The first UN Headquar- minds, from being a forgotten and neglected ters to be situated in a developing country. issue. Today everybody talks about the environ merit arid people around tile world live under a International Environmental Education Programme threat to their daily lives because of a badly In 1975, UNESCO and UNEP launched the managed environment. We should take this International Environmental Educatlon Pro- chance to make people understand the benefits gramme (IEFP), in order to fulfil the recommen- of environmental education. dation from 1972. The objectives of the I-FP are: The work of UNEP * to give access to information in the field of UNEP's work in the field of environmental environmental education, through networks education arid training is implemented through arid the Connect Newsletter. various organisations and universities, since " to carry out research concerning the peda- UNP itself is a catalysing and not an Imple gogy, content and methods of environmental menting agency. All the work in environmental education. education falls under the IEElP. " to develop educational programmes, that Is, About 20% of UNEP's budget Is spent on curriculum development and teaching mate- training. Specialised training Is carried out by rials. the Units concerned, while general environmen * to train personnel through seminars, work- tal training is carried out by the Training Unit. shops and courses for teachers (pre- and In- In 1977, it initiated in collaboration with service training), teacher trainers, school UNESCO, at the Dresden University of Teclnol planners and curriculum developers. ogy, one of the world's first post-graduate " to integrate environmental education into courses in environmental management for technical and vocational training. participants from developing countries. Last * to educate and inform the public about the week the 15th course started in Dresden and environment arid its problems through twenty participants from 18 countries will producing media-related education pro- attend the ten month course. In 1990 a similar grammes, using new communication media, course was designed with Tufts University In developing exhibitions in museums and Boston, USA. It is an intensive training pro creating a bank of audiovisual programmes gramme for environmental managers from (video and computer). developing countries and at the moment about * to develop the general university education fifteen participants from thirteen countries are through creating an awareness among the attending a four month course. academic authorities, intra-university coop- In November a month long programme will eration and development of the integrated start for the first time, called UNEP Fnvironmen study programmes on environmental issues. tal Management Seminars, at UNFP head quar " to promote specialist training including ters, Nairobi. We also arrange courses on envi decision makers and administrators. ronmental issues and considerations for Indus * to promote international and regional coop- trial managers, geologists and journalists. eration. In addition to training, UNIT also promotes the spread of Information on environmental Environmental Education 50 Delegates and the general public were entertained on two evenings with an environmental play by the theatre group Reetsenang

training through regional networks. We also give advice to universities In the process of starting up courses on their own in Fnvironmen tal Management. UNEP's activities in the field of environment are focused on a number of areas of concentra tion, defined In 1989. Thcse areas of concentra tion are:

" climate change and atmospheric pollution. An example of UNIP's action is monitoring the greenhouse effect and also preparing an International convention on the issue of global warming, " th,. Global Protocol (Vienna, 1985) and the Giobal Convention (Montreal, 1988) for the protection of the ozone layer have received a lot of signatures from the member states, o pollution and the shortage of fresh water resources and the protection of the fresh water resources of the world through sound management. Clean and safe tap water for everyone is, of course, a main goal. In 1985 UNFIP launched the programme for the environmentally sound management of inland water (IMINWA), a major initiative aimed at safeguarding the world's fresh water. protection of human health conditions and " deterioration of coastal areas and oceans. To quality of life. Of course, all the work of protect the open seas and coastal areas and UNP Is aimed towards this last goal. Protect their inhabitants vhrough international ing a tropical forest, a river or the ozone layer cooperation. Again international agreements alsn helps to protect the human health and are the base of UNI-P's work, such as the therefore quality of life. Education is a very Mediterranean action plan. important way of directly Improving peoples " land degradation and desertification. UNIT health conditions and quality of life. is, through other organisations, creating a greater public awareness about the problems. Many NGOs and aid organisations are carry It is also coordinating the UN Plan of acilon ing out work in similar areas and with similar to combat desertification. projects. However, UNIT is unique In its possi * conservation of biological diversity. To bility to develop International legal instruments, recognise the value of maintaining a high like the ozone protocol and conventions on bio-diversity. At the moment an interna- global warming and biodiversity, for sound tional convention on the issue is being management of the environment and aiming developed. towards a sustainable development. " sound management of hazardous wastes and toxic chemicals arid to minimise the impacts United Nations Conference on of hazardous wastes through dissemination Environment and Development of information, promotion use of environ- Some people have already named the 90's as ment impact assessment into industrial the environment decade. This Is the time when development and development of low-waste we have to do something in order to be able to technologies. The Basel Convention was straighten out the problems we have caused. So, launched In 1989 by UNI-1 to control the what is there in tbe future to look forward to? transboundary movements of hazardous Next year, in June, the UN Conference on wastes. Environment and )evelopment (UNCEiD) will " environmentally sound management and use be held in Brazil. It Is the 20th anniversary of of biotechnology.

51 A National Planning Conference the Stockholm Conference 1972 and it Is sup- • Knowledge and Uncertainty: We do not posed to be the biggest UN Conference ever understand fully how the world works, arranged. There will be thousands of people therefore we have to make decisions on attending and the UN agencies have been uncertainty. In order not to destroy a system working since last year with preparatory corn- we do not understand, we have to carefully mittees in order to make the conference run assess and experiment prior to make any final smoothly. That conference will direct very declsi, is. much of the future international work on the * Sacred, ess: We have to understand that environment. nature has a value of its own and that it is a basic human need to enjoy a healthy and Environmental education: what to include beautiful environment. and how to do it? Let's come back to environmental education We can of course find other things to add with the questions of what and how? here, but these are eight major concepts of what environmental education should deal with. Key concepts of environmental education There have been many suggestions of what How to incorporate environmenta! education into are the key concepts of environmental educa- existing systems? tion. Back in 1944 an American researcher And now, how to do it. There are many ways determined over 500 major and minor principle and It depends very much on the existing biological sciences of importance to general educational system. Preferably environmental education. Since then several people from education should be introduced as an interdisd different parts of the world have come up with plinary subject and not as a subject on its own. new lists of what Key Concepts of environmen- This is especially Important In the lower levels, tal education should be (Atchia 1978, 40 con- like primary and secondary schools. If we go cepts, Roth 1969, 112 concepts). The latest is back to the main objectives the primary school Donella Meadows' 8 key concepts of environ- should aim at fulfilling the first three objectives: mental education, published in her book "Har- awareness, knowledge and attitudes. The sec vesting One Hundredfold". These concepts are: ondary school should continue this and address all objectives. * Levels of Being: There are three distinct levels To develop a curricula that incorporates of being: Human, Biological and Physical. environmental education into all subjects is of But all systems obey the same physical laws. course important. But as it is the teachers In the " Cycles: Matter cannot be created or de- schools that carry out the thoughts and contents stroyed. All materials necessary for life, of a curricula, it is very important to develop the water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc. pass resource a country has in its teachers. That is through bio-geochemical cycles, which done mainly through pre-servlce teacher tr'in- maintain conditions hospitabic for life. Ing in the teacher training colleges, but also " Complex Systems: Everything is connected to tl.rough In-service training. Another Important everything else. Different systems are con- way of making a curricula possible to imple nected through flows and these systems are ment, is to provide schools with relevant equip finely tuned, stable and resilient. merit and literature to support the teachers in " Population Growth arid Carrying Capacity: their work. Populations of living organisms tend to grow At the university level environmental educa exponentially, until limited by other factors. tion can still be taught in an interdisciplinary Human activity can enhance or degrade approach, but also as a subject on its own. carrying capacities. Many universities around the world have started " Ecologically Sustainable l)evelopment: up or are on their way to start up courses in Human wealth arid economic development environmental management or environmental ultimately derive from natural resources, studies. These resources are sufficient for all living Environmental courses are also appearing In creatures if they are managed efficiently and the study courses of engineers, lawyers and sustainably. planners, just to mention a few. Outside the " Socially Sustainable l)evelopment: The key to formal system of schools and universities, there development is the participation, organisa- Is the non-formal approach of dissemination of tion, education arid empowerment of people. information through various media like radio, Development must be appropirate not only television, exhibitions, advertisements, partici to the environment, but also to history, pation projects, etc. aimed towards all people, culture arid the social systems, but especially towards the people that have

Environmental Education 52 already left the formal education system. Development, IUBS-CBE/UNEP 1991. Conclusion Marlin, W.E. Adetermination of the Principles If we are in the environmental decade now, of the Biological Sciences of importance for how are we going to make the 21st century the general education. Ph. D. dissertation, Uni environmental century. One contribution versity of Michigan, 1944. towards that goal is environmental education. Meadows, D.H. Harvesting One Hundredfold, We understand the need to develop in a UNEP, 1989. sustainable way. Then everybody must partici- Roth, R.E. Fundamental concepts for environ pate and add their contribution towards that mental management education. Doctoral goal. That is why environmental education is so dissertation University of Wisconsin, 1969. important. The presidents, ministers, decision- Report of World Commission on Environment makers and Industrial managers of 2030 are and Development, Our Common Future, about to start or are already sitting in the pri- Oxford, 1987. mary school today. It is our responsibility, to UNESCO-UNEP, Guidelines for the development educate them and not only to make them of non-formal environmental education, IEEP literate, but also environmentally literate, environmental education Series No. 23, 1986. UNESCO-UNEP, International Strategy for References Action in the Field of Environmental Educa Atchia, M. Concepts and dynamics of environ- tion and Training for the 1990s, 1988. Chal mental education Ph. D. Thesis, University of lenge paper on environment and sustainable Salford, 1978. development by the Ontario Round Table on Atchia, M. Biological Education for Sustainable Environment and Economy, Ontario. 1990.

53 A National Planning Conference Environmental education: implications for education Martha C Monroe North American Associationfor Environmental Education

Dumelang. Thank you, Mr. Chairperson. I am education has five delighted objectives. The first is aware to be able to speak to you today and to ness, such as carefully examining share some perspectives nature even and experiences from nature i' cities and villages but also becoming North America as you plan the direction of more aware of issues. Issues such as how many environmental educal ion in Botswana. Ithank cows have died, or will breathing this air hurt the organizing committee for extending invitation an me? to me, and the United States Informa- Closely associated with awareness tion Service for is building making my visit possible. greater understanding through knowledge. I was asked to speak Some about the implications exarnples are, collecting data, seeking informa for education from environmental education. tion, and experiencing nature by walking across This immediately assumes that environmental a dam made by large rodents. Students can also education is somehow different, in a very basic gain knowledge by finding out about a problem way, from what usually occurs in Botswana's and solutions. schools today. Well, in fact, environmental With learning information comes supporting educationis different from a typical Ameican attitudes. When we are engaged or having fun, school as well, so I think we can explore this positive attitudes are formed When an issue is topic from both a general and specific view- emotional, or pathetic or hits close to home our point. Before we can discuss the implications of attitudes are affected. But all these components environmental education, we all should have a are not in themselves enough. common understanding We must also of environmental have skills to help solve environmental education. prob lems. Skills like cooperating, information seek Because environmental education means so ing, public speaking, writing-publishing and many different things-for-dl education, data analysis are the types of skills students can nonformal, teacher training, environmental practice in school. professional traini;.g. I would like to begin by The fifth objective is participation. environ showing some examples of environmental mental education includes opportunities to education programs and activities. From these involve learners In action, as well as a cnance to images I will draw several common denomina- study, explore and analyze problem solving tors and we will look at the implications for cases. This could mean something as simple as education of those. Finally, I would like to beautifying your neighbourhood, joining an provide some advice to you as you go forward in organisation, attending a rally or cleaning up a the development of environmental ed.icatlon. mess. It's when ve listen to each other, discuss issues and work, ogether that we What is environmental education? can profect our environment ant cultural heritage for the (Slides were shown that illustrate a variety of children of today and tomorrow. (The slides programs in environmental education, and ended here.) explain how the five objectives of environmen- Now some of you may be concerned about tOl education can be translated to the real world: what awareness and participation mean in awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills, and Botswana. It's easier, of course to participation.) limit environ mental education to knowledge. Students need The typical nonformal approach is a guided to be aware of and knowledgable about soil walk or interpretive exhibit but it also includes erosion, overgrazing, water conservation and urban exhibits and opportunities to discover litter/recycling. But here is the important point. more about nature or environrriental issuef It If we limit environmental education to dissemi can be conveyed through theatre-indoors ,r nating information we are making two huge outdoors, such as here in Gaborone-or music assumptions: and art. As has already been said, environmental

Environmental Education 54 i4N

An enviunmental education class at Maitlamo the importance of the process used to make Primary School in Lobatse are coming to grips with decisions and to Involve the public. soil pits. But let's get back to the implications of environmental education for education. I would like to suggest the following three common " that we know it all-that we are informed denominators for environmental education and about the problem, various solutions, and then explain their implications. These are my their ramifications, and opinions - and I put them forth for discussion * that information is all we need to solve the purposes. problem. Good environmental education addresses the local environment. That's what learners are If we look elsewhere In the world, we find curious about, that's where their attention and environmental issues always come with uncer- interest lie. Therefore, environmental education tainiy and are always changing. Good solutions, is meaningful and relevant to learners. Students like using CFC's in refrigerators may later have could explore how many mopane worms live on horrendous consequences-like thinning the atree, and how far their grandparents walked to ozone layer. The world is always changing. We collect them. What adaptations does the do student, no service if we only provide infor- gemsbok have to the desert - and why don't matlon. As educators we must also help them they trample the plants like cattle? develop the skills to collect information, work Since all schools, all teachers, all environ together and resolve problems that we do not ments are not indentical this may mean that even know about yet. environmental education encourages variation The idea of participation does not mean that in the curriculum, within the context of na every teacher spends a term rallying the village tional goals and objectives. This flexibility around an issue. It does not have to be physi- requires teacher training and responsibility. cally going out and taking action. It can be Second, good environmental education studying action, that Is,reading about projects Includes information and addresses attitudes that involve citizens. Or it might be aproject and skills for solving our problems. In an educa that students undertake at their school. Your tional program that isprimarily Information own Okavango delta provides a good example of based, this means that environmental education 55 A National Planning Conference is different. It involves students in reflecting on Projects are an excellent way to Involve their values and attitudes and it helps them students In problem develop solving. skills. It Isan active process of growth * Use small experiments-try and play. and Reflect. development. Furthermore, good environ- Communicate. Test out ideas with mental education experi empowers students and enced teachers before implementing them on teachers. How can you talk about wise action a large scale. taking and solutions to environmental problems * Support each other and without share successes. It is being motivated to change your per- very different to say -"here's an activity sonal habits Idea to reflect your values, or find out for teaching about air pollution" and about a local "here's issue of concern? an activity I did-the kids liked It and I Finally, environmental education is merely would change step three a one simple little bit." message repeated in many different * Seek support and successes outside Botswana. forms. And that message is, "We must take care There is an extensive international commu of our resources and our waste products to live nity doing this-many are overcoming substainably the on this planet." This message Is same barriers you will wrestle with. One repeated in a unit on soil, a study of energy, a possibility Isto attend an international chapter on water, and a survey of litter. It's the conference In Toronto, Canada same next year. It message over and over. This is more effec- will attract 5 000 educators and environmen tive than a typical educational program, because talists. we don't learn from one exposure to a concept, I would like to conclude by saying we need to that even experience a concept several times, though I am an environmental educator, com This means that environmental education is mitted to helping teachers, curriculum memorable. develop In several ways, environmental ers and learners understand their environment education is different. It is mission-oriented, not and their role in its protection, Information-oriented. I do not believe These concepts are not environmental education is the only answer. unique to environmental education. For exam- Several speakers have mentioned pie, the new movement the importance in science education of behavior change to resolve our problems and toward STS (science/technology/society) as well have charged environmental education with as other mission-related fields, such as health doing so. Well that's unfortunate. education Ibelieve that and peace education also echo these Implies a much greater faith In education claims. than Is The significant thing isthat these Impli- appropriate-at least in the United States. cations are new to traditional formal education, Knowledge, attitudes, which skills, interest and means teachers haven't been trained to motivation won't get very far if alternative teach this way. behaviors are Inconvenient, expensive, or There are secondary implications of these impossible, or if the social norm does not en points, for teacher training and resources, and courage experimentation and the discussions new behavior. about these are perhaps appropriate We can't change behaviors without education for your workshops tomorrow. I have some but we can't expect education thoughts to work miracles. about how to get from here to there. We need legislation, incenti ies, role models This Isobviously and a huge challenge - certainly leaders to help change behavior, too. In this the United States has a long way to go, too. respect environmental education becomes one * Start with easy steps. Not the Okavango, but element of a broad program to achieve maybe local litter or school water use. School substainable life on this planet.

Environmental Education 56 Environmental education in Kenya: experiences and prospects Michael Koech ActingDean, Faculty ofEnvironmentalStudies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi,Kenya

Introduction UNESCO-UNEP venture, the International Environmental education is vital to the Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) survival of mankind. Without educating the and Its objectives In the development of Pnvi masses, they will continue to mismanage and ronmental education training and other related destroy the environment on which their exist- programmes. ence depends. Kenya has demonstrated a major commitment to educating and training all of its The development of the International citizens in the preservation and conservatlcii of Environmental Education Programme all resources for present and future generaclons. It was at 'le United Nations conference on Because of this commitment, it is one of the Human Envi, )nment in Stockholm, 1972 that leading countries on the African continent In the world governments of the United Nations the implementation of environmental education called for a global strategy for combating envi and training programmes at all levels of educa- ronmental degradation through the use of a tion. wide variety of approaches; within the formal The purpose of this paper is to review the and non-formal education, and Involving In state of environmental education in pre and school and out-of-school populations. Since that post independent Kenya and beyond the year conference, many meetings, workshops, sympo 2000. The paper examines how environmental sia, pilot projects and other action programmes education concepts and practices have been have been conducted at global, regional, na Incorporated into the curricula of primary and tional, local community and institutional level. secondary schools. In addition, it highlights The results of such activities have been collated, significant aspects of environmental education discussed and refined and recommedations for and training at the tertiary level in Kenya and Its their extension or in implementation docu contribution to national development. mented at International, regional and national The NGOs have also made their contribu- meetings such as those held at Belgrade, tions in this area. The concepts of environmen- Brazzaville, Tbillsi, and in Kenya, at the National tal education have been widely discussed and Symposium, the Association of African Universi deliberated in many national, regional and ties Workshop and the Kenyatta University international fora. Several of these concepts Workshop. have been included in major national docu- At meetings such as these, problems related ments such as development plans stressing key to environmental issues, programme develop issues for development. Issues pertaining to ment strategies, environmental needs and natural resources such as the traditional role of priorities, teaching/k arning materials develop forests, afforestration programmes and soil ment, and a host of ot;cc Issues have been conservation projects have been translated into identified and recommendations formulated as the school curricula with the aim of controlling they apply to the various audiences and uluca human activities that may be harmful to the tional levels. environment. Thus, development needs, train- Specific examples of the machinery which ing needs, and protection the total environment have been established to promote environmen and its resources can be balanced In the overall tal education include the UN's agencies such as development process. This development process the United Nations Environmental Programme incorporates the contributions of formal and (UNEP) whose headquarters are in Nairobi. non-formal education practices, and the NGOs Kenya established the National Environment have also made a significant impact in the Secretariat (NES) and the Presidential Commis Implementation of environmental education sion on Soil Conservation and Afforestation programmes at the grassroots levels. (PCSCA) several years ago. With this brief introduction, it is necessary at Of special interest to the continent of Africa this point to provide the background of a and specifically K::nya is the resulting imple

57 A National Planning Conference mentation of environmental programmes at programme different levels of education. There are pressing research in institutional and methodological pioblems In Kenya including Soil erosion, changes needed to incorporate environmen deforestation, over-grazing, 'ndustrial pollution, tal education and training into and drought. educational Concerns about managing and and training systems. safe guarding the environment in the continent have long been debated and discussed, and These four elements complement each other objectives have been developed by international in their approaches and in their efforts and national organizations. to dis A meeting of seminate information and experts impart knowledge on ir. the scientific community was con- environmental education. vened in Nairobi, Kenya in April 1983 to deal with key issues in environmental education and Evolution of environmental education in training, particularly the awareness of the local Kenya leadership of their effect on the environment. Pre-Independent Kenya Consequently the ultimate goal of UNEP's There are over forty ethnic communities Programme of Action for Environmental In Educa- Kenya, and traditionally, environmental educa tion and Training in Africa Is to initiate a viable tion has been with the indigenous African environmental literacy programme for the populations since time immemorial. People present and future generations. The in objectives diverse environmental settings which exhibit a of the programme are: wide range of terrains, environmental factors and niches, have been * to provide a framework for catalyzing, interacting with the coordi- world around them and teaching their children nating and organizing environmental educa- the value of conserving, protecting, and sustain- tion and training activities in Africa at the Ing the resources. Although many people national, regional and In the sub-regional levels for pre-independent Kenya did not know all systems of education, how to read and write, they relied on their traditional * to provide an agreed framework for the education which transmitted its environmental programming of environmental education knowledge through story telling and and training activities practical in Africa, that coun- experience passed on from one generation tries can use to assess to the and promote the next. This education was very effective Incorporation of environmental and dimensions emphasized the value of living in harmony with In their own education and training systems. the environment. Indigenous Kenyans during " to promote general awareness of the need for this period had a very sophisticated perception environmental education and training in the of their surroundings and a deep reverence for region, based on Information exchange about those systems. The older generation passed activities, programmes on and materials which both their understanding and their have been developed, reverence diligently from one generation to the next * to promote a framework to facilitate and compila- taught that nature was external to and more tion and production of materials for develop- powerful than humans. Nature was perceived Ing environmental education as and training in being so powerful that it could certainly the region. affect the human beings and not vice versa. " to create educational coiditions which will In a nutshell, environmental education was make people in the region aware of environ- essential to protect people from the dangers of mental problems and equipped with the skills nature and to utilize the natural resources In a necessary to prevent new ones. sustainable fashion. Traditionally people were mindful of the well-being of other organisms In order to accomplish these objectives, which depended on similar resources In the UNEP's environmental education and Training environment. President Kenyatta once said Unit identified of four vital elements: "A man is the owner of his land...but in so far as there are * institutional other people of his own flesh and (governments) coordination of blood who depend on that environmental land for their daily education and training activi- bread, he is not the owner, ties but the partner, or at the most, a trustee for the others. a curriculum development Since the land incorporating is held in trust for the unborn as environmental well as for the education In the existing living, and since it represents curricula his partnership In the common life of generations, he will * training programmes encompassing not the lightly take it upon himself to dispose of It". preparation of teaching guides, bibliographies The statement emphasizes that land is a and diversified Instructional materials to aid natural resource essential for all living things. educators in the implementation of the Without indigenous education to integrate Environmental Education 58 elements of environmental education into its together with the Initiatives taken by govern system, and which ensures a collective responsi- ment ministries, including the Ministry for bility on the management of natural resources, Education and the NGOs, serve to emphasize the life would have been difficult. In fact It can be importance that the people and Government of speculated that during pre-independent Kenya, Kenya attach to environmental education and each generation left the environment better training programmes. than they found or Inherited it. Other recent environmental education workshops that have been hosted in Kenya Environmental education in post-Independent Kenya include the Sub-regional Workshop on Teacher The Introduction of Western type of educa- Training In environmental education for Africa tion, concurrent with other developments which took place in April 1986. It was followed including the rapidly increasing human popula- by a National Workshop of environmental tion, has disrupted the indigenous African education in August of the same year. The education system with its integral enviromental venue of the two workshops was the Kenya education component. Consequently, the Science Teachers College in Nairobi. perception of the environment changed quickly. Issues discussed included the definition of People started treating the environment with environmental education, disseminating, devel disrespect and instead of living in harmony with oping and implementing environmental educa the environment, began to learn new methods tion programmes throughout the educational of dominating nature. To mention only a few, system in the region. these practices have included: deforestation, cultivating marginal areas, and excessive pollu- Impact of UNEP's environmental education and tion. training in Africa UNEP and other related agendes dealing with Background of environmental education and training environmental education programmes have had in Kenya significant impact on the policy making In The international emphasis on environmen- Kenya. The Government's policy Is to preserve, tal education and training led to three environ- Improve and prevent detrimental effects on the mental education conferences in Nairobi, Kenya. environment. The preventive measures are The Kenya symposia came shortly after the more economic than corrective. The Kenya Brazzaville African Regional Seminar held in Development Plan 1984 - 88 stated 1976. The first of the Kenyan conferences was "The main concern with environment at this the Association for African Universities Work- stage of our development is to control human shop of 1978. One of the recommendations of behaviour so as to achieve a balance between the workshop was that "Universities should the development needs of the nation and the redirect their traditional disciplines in order to enhancement and protection of the environ heighten environmental awareness in all stu- ment. Since the economic environment during dents". the plan period will be characterlsed by short The workshop was followed by the forma- ages of financial resources; resources will not be tion of Kenya's National Environmental Secre- available on a large enough scale to rehabilitate tariat at Kenyatta University College in January, areas that have already suffered damage. Instead, 1979. It was resolved here that "Teachers hold the thrust will be to strengthen the institutions the key to that part of environmental education necessary for the assessment and monitoring of that takes place in formal education; hence, the environmental changes that are likely to be need for teachers to understand the environ- harmful in the future." mental emphasis". The Government has realized the value of Finally, In May, 1979 the Kenyatta University environmental education and training pro College Environmental Education Workshop grammes through formal and non-formal set resolved that "it is nevertheless necessary to tings. The implementation of these programmes offer a compulsory interdisciplinary environ- in schools, colleges and universities in the form mental education course which should tie up of training provide awareness of existir-3 and the major Issues from separate disciplines as encroaching environmental problems to both they each contribute to a holistic understanding youth and adults in the society. of multi-faced environmental issues and prob- Previously, The Kenya Development Plan lems". 1979 - 83 asserted "... environmental considera These conferences, together with the location tions must be brought to the attention every of UNEP, Habitat, and other environmentally citizen..." concerned organizations in Kenya, Indicate the Some aspects of this environmental educa country's commitment to the management and tion have already been implemented. For preservation of the environment. The actions, example, His Fxcellency, the President has 59 ANational Planning Conference mobilized the Wananchi (citizens) In soil con- In 1974 there was yet another seminar in servation, tree planting, the chiefs' nurseries, which SEPA was actively involved and this was a and afforestation activities, pilot seminar on Environment Education Meth Through Kenya's National Environmental odology in East Africa. This seminar took place Secretariat several environmental studies have in Mombasa, Kenya and was attended by envi been carried out and reports produced that are ronmental experts from Kenya, Ethiopia, necessary for policy-making and training pur. Uganda and Tanzania. In addition, the consult poses. These materials and others have contrib- ants to this meeting came from well known uted immensely towards the development and organizations such as the Association for the incorporation of environmental education at the Total Environment (TETE), an NGO education primary, secondary and tertiary education. organisation based in the United States. The rationale of the meeting was to field test The primary school level an environmental education approach designed This section examines what is being incorpo- by UNEP, the International Union for Conserva rated In the curriculum at this level in terms of tion of Natural Resources (IUCN), and the World teaching and learning the environmental educa- Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching tion. In this respect the 1979 Development Plan Profession (WCOTP). emphasized that "As environmental considera- The Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) Isa tions must come to pervade development deci- major agency that researches and develops sions taken at every level from family to the curricula for pre-primary education, primary, Government, these considerations must be secondary, adult and continuing education. In brought to the attention of every citizen. Hence addition to developing curricula in these broad environmental education will be introduced in areas, the KIE also designs syllabi and develops the schools, not as a separate discipline, but as a appropriate materials for each subject taught in dimension to be considered in various aspects of Kenyan schools. The KIE stressed three ap the curriculum". proaches in which environmental education can This statement Implies that environmental be incorporated into the existing school curricu education was to be Incorporated into the lum and su-jects. These are existing subjects taught in the Kenyan schools, since that the school curricula were already too • teaching from the environment; an elemen crowded to consider the introduction of a new tary stage in the development of an environ subject. In other words, the teaching approach mental education programme. The rationale and instructional materials for environmental here is to stimulate enquiry and the develop education should be within the existing school ment of the learning process. curriculum, in a multidisciplinary and inte- ° teaching about environment where the focus grated way. is on selecting one specific topic of study to Early initiatives for introducing environmen- gain more information and understanding. tal education at the primary school levels in * teaching for the environment which In Africa, and especially in Kenya were developed creases the depth of understanding and by the Science Education Pr'ngramme for Africa broadens the perception of environmental (SEPA). In 1971, SEPA produced 'A Guide to the problems. Study of the Environment' which deals with broad man-made environmental concerns. To complement these levels, the KIE has Kenyan educators have been active in SEPA in devised four teaching methods of environmental organizing, disseminating and teaching envi- education in the schools. These teaching proc ronmental science. esses take the following form: These activities were funded by UNEP and UNICEF. For instance, the two international * inquiry method where learners take an active organisations sponsored a seminar on environ- role in the teaching/learning process through mental science education in Africa during the investigating environmental problems and summer of 1974 in Nairobi. Those who partici- using problem solving techniques to provide pated In this workshop Included teacher train- potential solutions, eis, teacher trainees, science teachers, and ° conceptual schemes where teaching Involves African scientists from 16 African nations. The the selection of broad concepts within the aim of this seminar was to look into how subject areas for study. For example, conser teacher training programmes could be fostered vation of natural resources through indigenous African strurtures and * process method where this approach equips customs with an objective of carrying out pilot the learners with enquiry and scientific skills programmes in the teaching and learning of for investigating problems such as outlining environmental education. the problems to be Investigated, developing Environmental Education 60 hypotheses, stating the problems, designing tion and training. Instruments for collecting data and making In the early 1980s, an environmental Educa conclusions on the analysed information. tion programme In the Faculty of Education was created to provide a specialized training for The three approaches to environmental tutors at the Diploma Colleges. In just a few education and the teaching methods developed years of operation, this programme has grown by the KIE aim at incorporating environmental into a Centre for Environmental Education education topics into the existing subjects. In (CEE). It has trained several tutors for Diploma all cases the stress is on the revelance of the colleges in the MEd degree programme In envi issue to the local situation. The primary schools ronmental education. subjects Geography, History and Civics have In addition, the CEE has expanded Its course been combined into one course, and themes for offerings to include a compulsory Introductory learning and teaching at eacih level demonstrate course of environmental education for all BEd the integration of environmental education, degree students during their first year. This Other courses which teach about environmental same unit is taken by all Postgraduate Diploma issues are science and agriculture. in Education (PG1)E) candidates. The unit was first implemented in the 1986/87 academic year The secondary/high school level and introduces students to the basic concepts, At this level the KIE has identified key con- philosophy, awareness and potential solutions cepts and themes that have been integrated in to environmental problems. the secondary/high school syllabi. The KIE has In the 1986/87 academic year, the Centre developed courses that incorporated environ- developed four units in environmental educa mental themes into subjects including: Agricul- tion for the MEd degree students in the Primary ture, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Teacher Education (IYTE) programme. The centre Religion, Commerce, History, Art, Music, Math- developed an MEd degree in environmental ematics and Technical Studies. In a Social education which was approved by the Kenyatta Education and Ethnics syllabus developed by the University for its implementation in the 1988/ KIE in 1985 for the Kenya Certificate of Second- 89 Academic year.The Centre has recently been ary Education (KCSF), one of the provided elevated to a Faculty of Environmental Educa courses is 'Population and Environmental tion. Plans and arrangements are underway to Education'. develop proposals for establishing teaching and However, the Syllabus of 1982 for the high research departments within It. In addition, school, Form V-VI (grades 13-14), already proposals for personnel, physical facilities and incorporated environment into course work. other necessary requirements will be made to establish a strong faculty. Tertiary level-teacher training colleges At Moi University in Eldoret, the School of Graduate and Teacher Training Colleges Environmental Studies offers postgraduate offering training for l)iplomas in Education studies at the Diploma, MS (Master of Environ provide compulsory courses in environmental mental Studies) and Phi) levels. This School has education (Kenya Science Teachers Colleges; also provided a Certificate in environmental Kagumo, Siriba, Kisii). The curriculum has been education in the past. revised to include more concepts of environ- Initially, the Mol University was established mental education and practices so that graduates "to introduce new areas of learning which of these institutions would be able to incorpo- would help meet the high level manpower re rate environmental education into their lessons. quirements of a mode-n and increasingly tech The writer of this paper was one of tile nological society". participlants in the workshop conducted to During tile 1986/87 academic year, Govern improve this syllabus. ment decided to establish a Faculty of Education The syllabus for environmental education at Mol University which was a replica of that of and training at the l)iploma Colleges offers Kenyatta University. Thus the unit of environ courses that range from an introduction to mental education already in place at Kenyatta environmental education to sustainable devel- Universiy was also introduced to all BEd degree opment and environmental management. students at Moi. F.nvironmental education and training programmes are anticipated to develop Tertiary level-university sector in othei tertiary institutions of higher learning There are four national universities (Univer- in tile future. sity of Nairobi, Mol University, Kenyatta Univer sity and Egerton University) in Kenya. Of these, Non-Governmental organizations and Kenyatta University (KU) has perhaps developed environmental education the fastest In the area of environmental educa- Based on the above informdtion, the formal

61 A National Planning Conference Most delegates agreed that the key to good . environmental education in the formal system lay with the teachers. ,r ,,

education system has made significant contribu tions to environmental education and training. The NGOs equally have played a significant role; in particular they have implemented environ mental education programmes at the grassroot levels that Include activities such as tree plant- / ing, water and energy conservation. The Kenyan I President stated "The environmental 'contagion' -. has caught on well and happily. The result Is that Kenya hasO1000 registered and unregis tered non-governmental organisations minding the environment. They range from school wildlife clubs and tree-planting groups to moun taineering and other nature-loving societies" The list is extensive and includes the Kenya Energy Non-Governmental Organisations (KENGO), the Green Belt Movement, Environ mental Liaison Centre, Mazingira Institute, Youth 1). Groups, Women Groups, and Religious Institutions. These are clear indications that the Republic of Kenya gives priority to environmental educa tion and training programmes. Despite the financial constraints and lack of adequate personnel trained in environmental studies, the Government will continue implementing envi ronmental education programmes through likelyhood of finding solutions are much higher. many channels. With the implementation of In this way the negative human impact on the the 8 years of primary, 4 years for secondary, 4 Kenyan environment may be reversed. In order years of university schooling system of educa- to strengthen environmental education at the tion, natural resource conservation and utilization,eduationwa osteghnnvrmnaldutintte re l e cosevati ard ti v primary level, there is a need develop relevant tion education will be expanded aid improved materials, workshops for teachers, and well planned field excursions for students. It Is also More teaching materials are required for an Important to invite environmentalists to provide effective implementation, including relevant lectures regularly on various aspects of the handbooks, textbooks, films and other materials. environmentecture arland too useus the availableaspe of media th In Since teachers are the implementers of all cur- dissemination of knowledge and conservation ricula, they will be given workshops in which they learn techniques or improvising on materi- practices throughout the Republic. als and improving their teaching. Secondary schcxl level Future developments of environmental As indicated environmental education in Kenya already incorporated in Geography,education Social Is Primary school Science, Home Economic, History, Social Educa. Primary nds ico tion and F.thics, Science, Agriculture, Physical The trends in environmental education at ScecsPhisCmstyBolgilgca this level are 21stcenurytheeencouraging.i evey Asidictionshoing we approach the Sciences, aridPhysics, Arts Chemistry,Curricula. TheBiology, 8-4-4 Biological System 2lst century, there is every indication showing of E~ducation has incorporated a heavier measure that environmental issues will continue to be of environmental education into the curriculum. the main points of discussion in the global The trend of incorporation of environmental agenda. Kenya therefore has plans for introduc- education at this level is stronger than ever ing envirnomental education in the curricula for ef cation is tha eOi primary teacherprimry trainingtainng eacer programmes rogrmme totobefore. The indication Is that UNFSCO will provide more support and educational materials strengthen the dissemination of knowledge and in this area. skills throughout the primary school system. in is a As teacher and learners become conscious Since UNIT has its hea'cluarters In Kenya, and aware about environmental problems, the the nation's educational -.,'er will continue to Environmenial Education 62 benefit from this union as It approaches the 21st environmental education programmes in Kenya century. continue to grow and expand. Tertiary level References There are many innovations that are encour- Kenyatta, Jomo, "Facing Mount Kenya", Vintage aging at the tertiary level. In particular, Universi- Books, New York, 1965 p.27 ties are more autonomous in the development Kenya Government, "Development Plan" 1984 of curricula. The recent establishment of the 88. Government Printer, Nairobi, 1983. Faculty of Environmental Fducation (FEE) at P.137 Kenyatta University is an indication that envi- Kenya Government., "Social Education and ronmental education will continue to have a Ethics Syllabus for Kenya Certificate of significant place In the education system. With Secondary Education" Kenya Institute of the expansion of university education, environ- Education, Nairobi, July 1985. pp.19 - 20. mental education will continue to be incorpo- Mol, Daniel T. Arap, "Kenya African National rated into man)' subjects or taught as areas of ism: Nyanyo Philosophy and Prindp!es", specialization. For instance, within the recently MacMillian Publishers, 1986 p.58 established Faculty of Education at the College Republic of Kenya, Second University in Kenya of Education and External S, lies of the Univer- Government printer, Nairobi, 1981 P. (Vii) sity of Nairobi more programmes in environ- United Nations Environmental Programme mental education will be developed. "Report of the Meeting of Experts" Nairobi, 12-15, 1983: programme of Action for Envi Non-governmental organisations ronmental E-ducation and Training in At the non-formal education level, the NGOs Africa. P.5 have fostered practical activities (tree planting UNESCO, "Priority: African Annex 1": UNESCO, and soiling conservation. Their contribution to CA/2 September, 1989 p. 6

63 A National Planning Conference Experiences with environmental education in formal and non-formal education in Swaziland Irma Allen Director In-Service Education and Training, MOE, Swaziland

ntroduction Swaziland's needs. Efforts began around 1982 to Swaziland is fortunate to have deep roots in Infuse an environmental component into sub conservation. Many traditional practices regard- ject areas, particularly in the areas of science, ing the harvesting of plants and the hunting of agriculture and arts (where aseparate unit called wildlife (butimba), ensured the protection of the 'Exploring and Protccting the Environment' was natural resources. In addition, King Sobhuza 11, included for every grade level). lhese efforts was an avid conservationist. While still were given added impetus through a short Ngwenyama (Paramount Chief) in 1953 and consultancy and workshop for curriculum 1954, he signed environmentally significant designers sponsored by UNEP in 1986. The Orders in Council, making provision for soil workshop provided curriculum designers with erosion control measures and fbr a comprehen- the opportunity to incorporate environme,,tal sive survey of the nation's natural resources. He education concepty into primary school subjects. also promoted the establishment of Hlane as a Currently, environ 'nental education isbeing royal nature reserve, and Milwane, the first integrated into subj 'ct areas as new materials are nature reserve. His son, King Mswati 111i,is also developed and older ,rnes revised. actively supporting conservation efforts. Swaziland was one of thirty four African Curriculum-Secondary evel States participating at the UN Conference ott The National Curriculum Centre has devel Human E-nvironment in Stockholm in 1972. oped an integrated course, 'Development Stud Since then, it has been making deliberate, ies' which !sbeing offered at junior secondary consistent efforts to promote environmental level. Here some environmental issues are training, education and public awareness studied. One school offers a separate course, through various means. The main participants "Environmental Systems" at International in this endeavour have been the Ministry of Baccalaurate level. Education for formal programmes of curriculum development and teacher training and the Curriculum-Teacher training college level National Environmental Education Programme Athree year, post 'O'-level teacher training (NEE.1) for non-formal programmes. Various diploma programme of studies was launched at extension services and non-governmental the three teacher training colleges in 1987. In organisations, such as the Yonge Nawe Conser- designing It, tile subject committees decided to vation Club Association are now also making integrate enviromental education into all the important inputs into nonformal environmental subjects, thus special efforts were made in this education activities, direction. Many syllabuses, specially those of science, social studies and agriculture include Formal environmental education and sections concerned with environmental topics. training Curriculum-Pre-primary level Curriculum-University level Ajoint venture by non-govenmental organi- Whereas some departments such as Agrlcul sations, communities and the Ministry of Educa- ture, Home Economics, Science and Geography tion produced a core pre-school curriculum in include environmental topics in some of their which envfronmental education experiences for courses, few specific efforts to integrate environ infants are emphasized. An accompanying core mental education have been made. However, curriculum for pre-school teacher training also the University isactively contributing in the Includes sections on environmental education, area of research ol environmental issues. For example, the study into potential desertification Curriculum-Primary level in Swaziland, conducted by members of the The National Curriculum Centre has tile Geography Department, has been very useful to responsibility of writing curriculum and devel- environmental education efforts. oping text books which are relevant to Environmental Education 64 Currently, there is a special research project the environment investigating biogas and organic fertilizer pro- a to promote, organise and sponsor activities duction which is being conducted by the Chem- and research in environmental education and istry Department. The Science Faculty has conservation embarked on several research studies, including 9 to assist planned rural development by one on water pollution by industry, providing environmental education and training in sustainable development to Training-Staff development in environmental community members and extension officers education for primary school teachers 9 to assist with environmental education for A national in-service training programme for education officers, teachers and students In primary school teachers has successfully been the formal education system operating since 1985. Among its objectives is to - to help improve the quality of life of the link school and community resources and to Swazi people through the constant promo provide inservice education on environmental tion of an understanding of man's Interrela topics. tionship and dependence on the natural environment. Training-Staff development Environmental topics are often included at NEEP works to achieve Its goals through staff development short courses and workshops various activities. These are: for teacher educators, curriculum designers and other education officers. UNI-SCO has assisted - an outreach programme with a mobile vehi with writer's training in environmental educa- cle which provides talks, films, slide shows to tion for curriculum designers. A National Train- schools and to communities ing Workshop for educationalists was also held • an environmental education centre which with assistance from UNEP and UNESCO In provides resources, field experiences and 1987, under the International Environmental courses to teachers, extension officers, con E-ducation Programme. The participants studied servation club leaders, and to youth groups some of the country's environmental problems, * guided tours and presentations to school devised strategies for incorporation of environ- groups visiting the game reserves mental education into preservice and inservice ° field courses for adult and for youth groups teacher education and into nonformal pro- 0 presentations through the public media grammes and were introduced to the World 0 interpretation at the game reserves Conservation Strategy. A similar follow-up a public awareness campaigns. workshop will take place this year. • periodical seminars and workshops to pro vide an environment forum Training-Pre-service for educationists * input into curriculum development activities Environmental education courses have been to integrate environmental education into included in the programme of studies of some the primary schools and into teacher educa participants who hae received out-of-country tion courses training. However, only very few teachers and * training for NIEP education offic-Us and education officers have received any specialized other game reserve personnel. training in this vital area. Currently, one of the major activities of NEEP Nonformal education and training is the facilitation and implementation of the The National Environmental Education Programme national "Clean and Beautiful Swaziland Cam The National Environmental Education paign". This is a national campaign with wide Programme (N-EHl) plays a large role in non- participation from government and non-govern formal environmental education in the country. mental agencies, town councils, commerce and This programme was founded in 1975 by the industry, and individuals. Its main aim is to Mililwane Trust in response to the dire need to promote public awareness and harness available help develop a conservation ethic for Swaziland, resources for a cleaner environment. It is also which would influence general attitudes and assisting in establishing recycling and In the practices towards better management of natural development of anti-littering legislation. This resources In the kingdom. NEI1 is under the year, the Campaign has a tree-planting project, aegis of Swaziland's National Trust Commission, whose goal is to plant 20 000 trees during the a parastatal body specially appointed and coming rainy season. charged with the protection of the nation's heritage. The goals of the NEEIP are: Yonge Nawe Conservation Clubs of Swaziland • to foster appreciation of Swaziland's heritage Yonge Nawe, which in Siswatl means "You * to produce and disseminate information on Conserve Too" is an independent organizalion,

65 A Nalional Planning Conference Students' innate curiosity iseasy to stimulate in the outdoor environmental education classrxom.

founded In 1987, to promote tile development of conservation clubs as a means of increasing

awareness of conservation and promoting , . sustainable development. Its objectives are:

" to increase understanding of and commit ment to environmental concerns and conser vation practices among tile people of Swaziland, specially among school children " to make people aware of the urgency of arresting the degradation of the environment which Is seriously threatening our economic future " to promote active Involvement of people in r the conservation of natural resources, for example, reclamation of eroded areas, collec tion and recycling of litter, tree-planting " to Increase awareness of the economic, cultural, and aesthetic value of our natural resources " to provide education for sustainable develop ment, especially at grass-root level. .,

The organisation is run by agroup of people, . Including several young university students, - who give freely of their time arid resources. NFEI:I is also providing support to Yonge Nawe Award Scheme, the Environmental Health in the way of facilities for workshops, manpower Association, the Baha'i lnvironmental Office, and some transportat on. Some financial assist- and various extension services of government ance has been obtained from donors for specific departments, such as the l.and Conservation projects. Skillshare has reccntly become involved Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition, in assisting with the running of Yonge Nawe. At two private game reserves, Mkhaya and present, there are over thirty conservation clubs lPhophonyane, are actively promoting In schools and one adult club. Some of Yonge nonformal environmental education through Nawe's on-going activities include zhe periodic their activities. running of workshops for conservation club While all these activities represent meaning leaders, visits and assistance to individual school ful steps in environmental education, we still clubs, the development arid dissemination of a have a long way to go in this field and a fast monthly newsletter "lmbabala", periodic news- expanding population which nceds to grow in paper articles on conservation issues, competi- environmnental awareness. tions, exhibitions, public talks, field trips and Swaziland has serious envitonmental prob participation in national conservation events lemIs, such as a very high population growth rate such as Earth )ay, World -nvironment Day and (3,4%), soil erosion, pollution of water, air, and the "Clean and Beautiful Swaziland" Campaign. land, and deforestation. To overcome these problems, and unsure that there will be sustain Other non-formal environmental education able development much more needs to be done endeavours in environmental education. Other organisations, which are promoting I am very pleased to have been able to join special interest areas and contributing to envi- you in this conference. [his isa very significant ronmental education and training efforts in- step towards joint planning and a holistic lude the Family Life Association of Swaziland, approach to environmental education in Bot the Natural History Society, the Makhozinl swana. I am sure that its outcomes will Influence tne direction of environmental education here for years to come.

Environmental Education 66 The past, present and future of environmental education in Botswana curriculum development FLeburu PrinicipalCurriculum Development Officer,Department ofCurriculumDevelopment and Evaluation, MinistryofEducation

To put environmental education Into context * coverage In the subject. within Botswana's curriculum development, I * teaching methodologies suggested and would like to reflect on the Botswana National a assessment procedures suggested. Policy oil 1-ducation which states: "The purpose of the schools...will be to These shortcomings have been Identified by prepare children for useful productive life in the the various consultancies we have engaged to real world. They should have the basic skills of help us evaluate our integration policy. It has literacy and numeracy and the knowledge that become clear that the methods suggested for will make them self reliant later in life", teaching envhionmental education concepts fall This statement forms the core for our curricu- short of promoting acquisition of knowledge, lum planning. Programmes designed and developing positive attitudes and reinforcing developed, oi being developed, all aim at en- positive practices by the students. Alot still has couraging learner skills, attitudes, and values to be done to improve methodologies for teach and providing knowledge that will make him or ing tile subject. It has also been observed that her a useful productive individual in the real for tile instruction to bring about the desirable world. Aitempts have been made during tile changes there is a need to liaise with other design of the curriculum to present the real organisations outside the school system as these world as a multifaceted one with many children ultimately become part of their com variables. munities. It has been observed during the design It has also been noted that children learn a exercise that the curriculum cannot accommo- lot from their reers and Ifsituations could be date all that is desirable to make the chl!d useful created to allow sharing of ideas, knowledge and productive but that it could be the starting between the school going students and out-of point. It could present th arner with oppor- school youth a lot could be achieved. This tunities to develop and ac,,aire learning tools observation led to a joint effort between Kala that could be used in the future. The observa- hart Conservation Society and Ministry of tion that the curriculum cannot cover every- Fducation with the assistance of UNI)l. A UN thing that the learner needs has led to the policy Volunteer was engaged in 1989 to assist both of integriting most of those issues that learners KCS and Curriculum Development in network need or wi!l need in lifle across the core curricu- ing activities and co-ordinating the outreach lum, that is,subjects offered to all students in programme. The volunteer was charged with the school system. Environmental education the following responsibilities: was, during tile review and revision years, identified as an area which should be addressed * to establish ai effective distribution network if the quality of life of our learners was to be of Action Magazine and other environmental improved. It was felt that such education education materials. Action Magazine Isa should encourage learners to live :n harmony regional publication addressing environmen with their environments and be in a position to tal issues. It is provided to schools as a get the maximum output from it but still pre- resource for both students and teachers. The serving it for future generations. Curriculum )evelopment Unit participates In l)uring the design of the various subject its development by contributing articles. curricula no attempt was made to map out the * to assist with inservice workshops at primary scope arid sequence of the content areas to be level of education to familiarise teachers with covered in the area of environmental education. environmental education concepts and lrivlronrnvntal education concepts were inte- generate activities they could use In their grated Into the various subjects when the oppor- teaching. tunity arose. This approach lead to shortcom- Ings relating to: This led to a detailed analysis of existing

67 ANational IPlanning Confewnce curriculum for environmental education con- ment of Botswana's Wildlife needs a consider cepts and exploring ways of teaching them able degree of public understanding, support effectively through the various subjects. The and action. Thi can be encouraged volunteer through a worked closely with the Curriculum comprehensive and effective programme of Development Officers in identifying strengths environmental education and training that and weaknesses In environmental education reaches government personnel and all levels of concepts integrated within their subjects. the population". Having Identified weaknesses the volunteer The target population groups under was this asked to develop teaching modules on project will be students for the basic education environmental education which could be used programme, out of school youths, lecturers and acro,,s the curriculum. The officer also had to teacher trainees (at both primary and second deveiop a teacher Resource Book on Environ- ary levels), curriculum designers and practising mental Education based on the 9 Year Basic teachers. This project brings to us a multifac Education Curriculum. eted programnie covering the following: In addition, the volunteer acted as a link between Kgalagad; Conservation Society and the * Integration of environmental education Ministry into of Fducation on environmental educa- tile school curriculum to create awareness, tion activities. develop attitudes and skills and promote This project brought a different facet to our positive practices environmental education component. A team • Increasing awareness on environmental of teachers was created to assist the officer and education issues among the out-of-school pilot some of the materials developed. The youths and the literacy groups in non-formal approach used focussed on teacher/student education. participation. They identified their school based • pre and inservice training of teachers at environment projects and with the assistance of primary and secondary school level on the the officer started and monitored them. Con- teaching of environmental euucation con centration was placed at the primary level cepts. bccause: e development of support teaching learning materials for use across these * there target groups. is a high dropout rate at standard seven * enforcing links on environmental education * teachers at this level needed more help in among agents currently interested in the hai.dilng the subject subject. chances of involving the community In these projects was higher at this level arid children The Ministry of Education plans implementa could be made agents of change in the com- tion of this project in three phases. munities Phase I will be needs assessment aimed at establishing A our needs and where we are with lot has been achieved during this project; environmental education in both tile formal an awareness has been created and interest and non formal sector. This exercise will be generated. Those schools which started projects covered by carrying out the following activities ire still monitoring them and requesting more in both the formal and non formal sector: assistance. The project gave us an opporunity to participate ard be informed in environmental • a situation analysis of curricular materials to conservatiorn ,ctivities. It laid a foundation for Identify short comings and strong points. the follow-up Froject which aims at helping • a survey of teachers to get their views and government Implement the National Conserva- needs on environmental education. These tion Strategy. will be compiled arid prioritised and an During 1991 we have continued with the action plan drawn. development of the teachei- resource material • consulting with teachers to establish a clear with the assistance of USAII). We have contin- definition of the concept of environmental ued working with the teachers to develop the education and listing all related concepts so resource book which we hope to use as a train- cross-referencing could be done among Ing document and also a resource for the more subjects. structured programme we will be developing during NI)P 7. At the end of this phase we hope to come out The programme to be developed during NI)I with a plan of action ihat will lead us into phase 7 falls under the Natural Resource Management two of the programme. P,oject and it Is just!fied by the following state ment: Phase ! will aim at awareness creation "The conservation and sustainable manage- among the different target groups. This will be Etivironmenial Education 68 done through the use of the different media and in environmental education will be formed and by reinforcing existing information dissemina- given the responsibility to advise and assist in tion agents. It is hoped that a series of activities programme implementation. such as: Running concurrently with Phase II will be Phase III which will aim more at the dLvelop " running workshops for different target ment of human resources. Training at both pre groups, and inservice level will be implemented. If the " developing effective radio programmes, training programme does well there may be a " developing feature articles on environmental possibility for developing a programme for issues in consultation with other teacher training colleges and colleges of educa orgainsat!ons, tion. The needs assessment exercise will deter * developing audio-visual instructional materi- mine if this is necessary. als such as video and films with accompany- poetleThe success ihalo of this environmentalsgtee eetdy education ing instructional manuals, project lies with ail of us gathered here today; " piloting the concept of school-community our cooperation and support will go a long way * piotigcocep teofschol-cmmuity to making this dream come true. We hope the conservation projects in suitable areas. " continued Integration of environmental project will be evaluated as it is implemented education issues in the school curriculum but the ultimate results will be seen In practices and developing instructional materials such and values displayed by its participants. as teacher resource books and learning pack- References ages. " launching if possible an environmental Botswana Govt. 1977 National Policy on education newsletter for the target groups. Botswana Govt. & USAID 1989 Regional

In addition to these activities there will be Resource Managemait Project agreement structural improvements within the department (690..0252 33) to facilitate communication. An environmental Botswana Govt. National Development Plan 6 education panel made up of all groups Interested and Draft NDP 7

69 A National Planning Conference Teaching methods for environmental education informal and non-formal education Marth;, Monroe, North American Association for Environmental Education and Ulf Carl-.son, United Nations Environment Programme

Avariety of teaching methods and activities plant, and marsh. The line of people can then are available to complement the traditional be joined at the appropriate lecture places to form a method of instruction. Together, these water cycle. The repetition of methods form a bank the skit helps of possibilities that tc ach- reinforce the cyclic nature of our planet's water ers can use to deliver an environmental message system. Emphasis can to a group be placed on any compo of learners. The lecture methods nent of the cycle, and the cards needs no further can be moved or introduction, so we have rewritten to fit any community's water planned to review some supply. other teaching methods The skit can be performed by older students or during this one hour session. Those methods younger ones, or even written by students as a are: review. " demonstration * drama Oh deer! To better present African wildlife, " game "deer" was altered to "gemsbok", and 32 " discussion people from the audience came to the front of the room. After * rap song instruction, the gemsbok " cartoon ran across the room to capture a needed element of their habitat Hiow wet isour planet? either food, water, or shelter represented by participants making sings for those elements. A This activity demonstrates in graphic terms count of the gemsbok population how much fresh water people was kept utilise, over and during each round (year) of play. Apattern of over again, compared to all the water in the high population following world. Students rich resource years, are likely to think that there is a and low population after reduced resource- lot of water in the world-the -as oceans are full of evident when these data were graphed. A It. But if we focus physi on the useable and accessible cal game can be used to simulate a concept water, we have much that less. As a demontration, may be particularly difficult to grasp in students are not the involved in this activity except abstract. Here, wildlife population became to guess the percentages, quite answer the questions, clear to the conference participants from the and be amazed at the tiny amount of water in antics of our own gemsbok. the Students could end. Demonstrations of this type, therefore, extrapolate from this simulat'n may be best what would for creating awareness of a partic- happen to gemsbok numbers if less lar concern. They water and can be followed by a more food are available in drought years, or how participatory activity that would reinforce a managed hunting concept, would affect the herd. or a lecture that would deliver a certain Some games are so strong message. in the gimmick, however that the fun of the game overshadows Water cycle the concept being taught. It is often important skit to check for understanding and make One at sure the a time, narticipants from the audience students picked up the proper message. came to the front of the auditorium to read a card and become part of the water cycle in The garbage Gaborone. shuffle To clearly demonstrate the place of Rhythm and music can people be a part of educa in the water cycle, this skit begins with a tional activities as well. The conference person, who organis turns the tap to get a drink. Back ers demonstrated a rap about the history through the pipes and pumps of to the dam, and rubbish, with conference participants joining on back again through the river to groundwater and the chorus, rain. After the sun is introduced, four people 'Do the garbage shuffle, it's an age-old thrill, join the line on the person end to read the cards cause we all make garbage and we always for toilet, sewer pipe, wastewater treatment will.

Environmental Education 70 Participants enjoyed demonstrations of alternative methods of instruction with this puppet show by Tshomarelo Puppets.

Keep on truckin' Using the example of the beer can, the participants helped Ulf describe the production / pathway of that can, from the bauxite mine to the local store. A great many subject ayeas could explore various components of a product's life cycle: the production and disposal of hazardous wastes (chemistry and earth science), the price of the raw materials and final product (econom ics), the policies that enable multinational companies to do business (international policy and economics), and the transportation process at each stage of production (energy use and economics). Local products and imports could { be compared for efficiency. Students can re search their own choice of product.

Holey ozone Cartoon descriptions of events, problems, or processes can be used to simplify a complex environmental issue. The destruction of the ozone layer by CFC molecules (wearing baseball caps unti! they are denatured by ultraviolet radiation) was shown in an overhead cartoon drawing. Visual aids of any sort are often helpful mechanisms for making a concept more clear. Education is often more effective if the Cartoons are often overlooked in our attempt to students are involved-either by discovering a accurately portray the scientific world. concept (such as the decrease in gemsbok num bers) or by making choices about what problem Conclusion he or she will research in the library. These This variety of teaching methods can help activities are also fairly good at connecting one present information to students in Interesting, narrow concept to another (the beer can path entertaining, but still educational ways. Teach- way and the water cycle), creating a web of ers have often commented that their job is made interrelated and interacting concepts. much easier and teaching becomes more fun, Environmental issues cannot be solved by when they can infuse interesting and enjoyable experts in one subject area alone. They are activities into their day. Fun and interesting products of great interactions, and will be solved activities help overcome the pctentially over- by the cooperation of people in science, social whelming impact of studying environmental studies, economics, policy, culture, and art problems. To learn that the ozone layer is being working together. Therefore, they should be destroyed, or that garbage is piling up, Is impor- studied In concert with several subjects, or at tant, but to do so in a lecture could make the least addressed in an holistic context. students depressed and hopeless. Presenting concepts in a lighter manner is one solution, as is remembering to teach about solutions, suc cessful actions others have taken, and positive actions your students can take.

71 ANational Planning Conference Planning for environmental education Alistair Scott Education Officer, World Wide Fund for Nature International

'Planning for environmental education' is However, because of its universal one which covers a broad spectrum. importance it may deal and the range of skills and knowledge that are with the planning required of the Individual needed, environmental teacher in education ismost often order to incorporate environmental dealt with on a cross-curricular issues into a sequence and extra-mural of lessons; the Implemen- basis by a range of different organisations. tation of small discrete projects or address the There isabsolutely no doubt that is the correct development of z,complete national environ- approach-but mental there is a danger that, because of education programme. There are very the breadth of different the canvas involved, this Issues to be considered at each point in approach can this scale. lack planning and direction that for example, the different environmental I will start by making and the assumption that, as educational organisations concerned this 1:1national conference, will have discussion should their own areas of concern, their preferred be re'.,ricted to the planning of a national techniques programme. and their favoured target groups. These may overlap with others groups or they Such planning Isan enormous task. may not. Each organisation is likely to set to Therefore, I will be able to do no more than work touch dealing with the priorities as it sees them, on the more important considerations. In planning its own doing strategy, producing its own so I will raise a number of questions and outputs. Their will not attempt motives will, doubtless, be to answer them fully. impeccable but good motives Although the are not enough. core questions In planning are In a badly planned programme common to there Is likely any situation, the reason is that the to be duplication of effort answers for an Individual and waste of resourc country will depend es. There isa danger that the audience, on a range of factors social, political, whoever cultural, they are, will receive confused, maybe conflict environmental and economic-which are ing, messages unique to that from several different directions. nation. So in this case, the From this disorder is likely answers must come to arise disagreement, from the people of Botswana tension and even fierce competition. who are to develop the programme. The Ifenviron- resulting mish-mash will be difficult or mental education was impossi regarded as a subject in its ble to evaluate and will have done own right, like maths or geography, little or there would nothing to help solve our environmental prob be little difficulty. lems. Hence The the need for a well structured and following sequence might, for example, co-ordinated approach be followed: in the development of a programme; just as would take place with the * development of an academic subject. Asubject development panel would be Most environmental established education work, at whatever scale, seeks to raise " Asyllabus would be formulated awareness, foster knowledge, change attitudes and develop " Textbooks would be written, tested the and skills to meet challenges posed by the host of published environmental " Examinations problems that beset us today. In would be devised, tested and addition, any project set. should aim to stimulate practical action with regard to these problems and there should exist the facility to evaluate Aclear course would be ilid down for the work teaching at regular stages. (Figure 1) and testing the suoject; then a slot These are would be the core objectives of dny such allocated in the timetable and pupils programme. It is important would dutifully (or to appreciate these otherwise) sit down to learn, and to place a weight on _ach In other words aspect with regard establishment of a new subject to the different facets of follows a well-planned the programme. It is and structured sequence also essential to deal with of development. the practical aspects of implementation. And there are two yitte Environmental Education 72 different facets that need to be considered-the Figure 1Aspects of planning managerial aspects and the educational and environmental aspects. It is essential to appreciate that these two facets are equally I:H,N.MV:NTA1. important. The most educationally sound F:Ip1 '1ATIo11R0(;RAMME programme, for example, will founder if its management is poor.

Management aspects 7 Control . This is the first decision that must be made - MANA(;IAI\I, .)UCATIONAL when establishing a programme. Who Is to take ASI :CT. ASPECTS the ultimate decisions? Isit to be a government department, a statutory body, a Non-Govern mental Organisation or a committee? Acommittee is most often the favoured .CONiROL PRC',3LEMS choice. If it is the one decided upon for Botswana then care should be taken in the composition of this committee. It must be large • 'roN. 4 .LETARGET(S) enough to be representative, but small enough to be workable. It should include representation • IING • METHODS from all bodies, governmental and non-govern- . ,IAINA I.IITY OUTPUTS mental, for which either education or managing the environment is a principal reason for exist ence. But it should be composed of no more than one representative from each body. It If an individual is chosen there is one small should not include those groups or organisa- danger to be aware of. In my experience coordi tions for which education or the management of nators have often taken up their position feeling the environment are secondary or marginal that they are personally responsible for carrying concerns, out the whole programme. This is not an auspi- For the sake of co;.tinuity and informed cious way to start. The coordinator's task should decision-making it is essential that the member- be as much managerial as anything else; to act ship of this committee be defined as precisely as as the link between the controlling body, do possible. For example, rather than have '... a nors, and those actually doing the work. The Representative from the Ministry of Education' coordinator should stimulate new Ideas (in line listed as a member, it is better to have a named with the overall plan), encourage tnd support person from that organisation (or if that is not the implementation of those ideas, ensure that possible, a person from a named position within the momentum of existing activities continues, the organisation) appointed, manage funds and draw the programme to gether into a coherent whole. The actual work Coordination of writing materials, running workshops, setting Arising from the selection of the controlling up tree nurseries, or whatever, should be the body comes its first crucial management responsibility of specialists (Government Minis decision. How is the coordination the whole tries, NGOs, employed or seconded Individuals, programme to be effected? Is an individual to for example). be appointed or is the job to be given to an interested organisation? Maybe a small Setting 'milestones' 'Executive sub-committee' could be formed. Having established the controlling body and I, personally, prefer the selection of a full- determined the coordination method, the time individual, an 'Environmental Education people involved should then establish Coordinator' wl~o is answerable to the control- 'milestones' for the programme. Milestones ling committee. This is a more 'active' ap- should not be confused with the objectives. proach. Howevir, it needs a very special person Milestones are a management tool used to plan for the job, someone who has an educational and measure progress. They may include such background but has strong management skills items as the establishment of formal agreements, too. It may not always be possible to find such a the setting up of an office, the employment of person. In this case, further decisions have to be staff, the start of a particular part of the project, made. Should someone be trained for the job or the publication of a book or any other suitably should an alternative coordination method be identifiable point. used? The setting of such milestones helps to clarify

73 ANational Planning Conference the direction that the programme is to take. Sustainability They are also markers, used to monitor progress This last management consideration is one which is essential for feedback to the controlling which Is always mentioned when talking about committee, coordination amongst participants environmental actions but is frequently and In reporting to donors. overlooked when It comes to the management Funding of projects. By sustainability, In this context, I mean the The financing of a programme raises a mass establishment of programmes that become self of questions to which I can make only the perpetuating with the minimum of additional briefest of references if this paper is not to input (this, of course, is linked to the long-term become too long. Nevertheless, these questions funding plans referred to above). Sustainability are crucial and answers must be found if the in the design of a project allows energies and project is to have a chance of long-term success. resources to be directed towards the First of all, who is to pay for the programme? improvement and expansion of the programme, Will Individual organisations be responsible for rather than just keeping it going. raising their own funds or will there be a central A classic example is Chongololo Magazine in 'pot' for the whole programme? How will the neighbouring Zambia. The magazine was set up outputs be paid for? Will they be sold or with aid from WWF in the mid-1970s. It was distributed free? Who is to finance the position established in a three-year rotating cycle so that of coordinator, any ancillary staff and the office after the initial development, new issues of the space that they will need? magazine did not have to be constantly written, Some of these questions need answering edited and laid-out. From this, a similar and before the programme begins; others can be parallel rotating cycle of radio programmes was dealt with once it is running. Even so, right established. Both of these now continue, from the outset, a long-term with view of the finan- the minimum of additional effort, supported by dal element of the programme must be devel- local funding. Small refinements have oped. been made, such as the publication of a duplicated If money Is to come from donors, over what up-to-date Newsletter, the preparation of an period of time will the support be provided and Index and :he distribution of file covers what will happen in after that? There is always the which children can keep a set of the magazines. dan'ger that a project w.ll collapse when external Most of these refinements are paid for with funds dry up. To be worthwhile, any project locally generated funds. should either intend to become self-supporting Meanwhile, the support from WWI Is now or aim to develop local, long-term sources of directed towards the production of a sister funding within a fixed time-frame. magazine, Chipembele, for secondary schools. iU:NVI. I NM FNrAI. Ii

KNOWN I" l-I.IIII:I I . I;,I 1.:.1\,V T T( o h,ltswal ai

IF: I I::-I'ATION [I .INI, ofI I'll \ I) I'T I (TION )1. OZONI

)ll. ): IO)N l NI ' F . NTI ()I G;R :NII . l

Figure 2 A classification of problems affecting Botswana

Environmental Education 74 This is also being designed with aview to the programme direction, purpose and to permit sustainability, in a cycle of twelve issues. Once evaluation. However, this Is one of the most this is complete and running, a third cycle for delicate tasks in the planning process. senior secondary school is envisaged. ThIe principal factor to consider is that objec tives must be attainable. It is counter-produc Educational and environmental aspects tive to set objectives that are too ambitious and The problems can never be achieved. This will only lead to It is now apparent to most people that we are disillusionment and loss of momentum. Equally, spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting objectives snould, as far as Is possible, have a environmental problems to address in any positive environmental impact. Unfortunately project. So, in creating an Environmental Educa- it is often the case that the objectives with the tion Programme we must always be aware that greatest environmental significance are those there is adanger in trying to address too many most difficult to achieve. Clearly a balance must environmental Issues all at once. This can lead be struck. to effort, and cash being spread too thinly. An To give an example the loss of woodland attempt to deal with everything simultaneously cover is one of the most serious problems is likely to result in nothing significant being throughout this region of Africa. Any environ achieved, mental education programme is likely to address In order to direct effort more effectively it Is this: but to what end? A range of three objec helpful to break down environmental problems tives can be used to illustrate the dilemma. A into three broad categories with respect to the programme could aim to achieve any one of people of any given country. these as Its uilmate goal: Known problems--These are the problems which are closest to the population. The * Tlhe production and distribution of educa majority of people will be already only too well tional materials dealing with deforestation. aware of them. De-forestation and soil erosion e A measurable Increase in awareness of the are probably two examples of grave concern in problem amongst pupils, teachers or the local Botswana. community. People have little or no need to be told about , Tlhe actual halting, or reversal, of the loss of these problems. What they need ispractical trees within the area of the programme. education and assistance with solutions. Dealing with these problems should be the Given sufficient resources the first objective highest priority in any environmental education should be relatively easy to achieve-but Isit a programme sufficiently worthwhile target? Unknown or problems perceived as The second objective is better. However, It is irrelevant-]These are problems which may occur obviou' ly futile to have raised awareness If the at some distance from the community but a'.e rate of dc."restation shows no sign of declining. still of concern to a country as a whole. In The last objective is .he Ideal one but (if we are Botswana, examples may include the loss of candid) it is unlikely that an education piolect wildlife or the degradation of rangelands. alone could brirg about this desirable state of People ,nay first need to be made aware of these affairs. This in'dicates another crucial factor to be problems-or made aware that they are considered in the setting of objectives-that of problems-and how they are likely to be integration with other environmental affected by them. These problems are also programmes. The third, most desirable Important but should take a lower priority, objective, could be most easily achieved if the Irrelevant problems-he destruction of the programme worked in conjunction with, say, a rainforests, the loss of the ozone layer and global Forestry Department re-afforestation project. warming, profoundly serious though they are, To summarise-the setting of objectives is have no immediate relevance to Botswana. Tl'he crucial, but they should be attainable, worth country is neither responsible for them, nor can while and should integrate with other environ it do much about them. Addressing this cat- mental activities being run by other agencies, egory of problems should never be allowed to whether these activities be throughout the dilute the more pressing Issues outlined in the country or In one community. preceding two categories. Targets Objectives At whom is the programme to be aimed? Having Identified the problems that need to 'Targets usully Identified are the formal be addressed it then becomes necessary to define education sector at primary, secondary and the objectives of the programme with regard to tertiary levels and teacher training; and the non these problems. Objectives are essential to give formal sector--community arid religious groups,

75 A National Planning Conference HI A

24 S S ElU CATIONAI. VA LI '

c l)

LOW

LOW HI(;H1 ENVIRONMENITAL IMIPA('T Figure 3 Environmental benefits in relation to educational value of certain methods used in environmental education. (See text for explanation of numbers.)

youth organisations, decsz,.,i-maker,-and any Methods and outputs other grouping outside the formal education The formation and support of wildlife clubs, system. Ideally the whole range should be the production of radio programmes, the targeted, but there are rery likely to be financial, stimulation of tree-planting campaigns, the resource or personnel constraints to this ideal. writing of newspaper columns, the showing of Then decisions will have to be made, based on videos and the publication of schools textbooks the following considerations: are all examples of possible methods/outputs that could be part of a national environmental " The problems to be addressed and the objec- education programme. All are useful but some tives that have been decided upon. have a greater value than others. " The organisations Involved In the With limited resources, priorities must programme be set and their areas of operation or and choices must be made, based on these spheres of expertise. relative values. The overall worth of any method " The resources available, or any output can be roughly assessed by plot * Parallel work being carried out by, associated ting environmental benefits against educational organisations. value using a simple matrix. The following examples, connected with trees, are plotted on With limited resources it is often the matrix (Figure 3) recommended that the 'multiplier effect' be The points represent: 1.The showing of f!lms utilised-training teachers rather than dealing and videos on deforestation using mubf!c. unit. more directly with pupils for example. How- 2. The production of a children's magazine ever, if teachers then return to poorly equipped dealing with deforestation Issues. 3. A campaign schools they may lack motivation--especially if to persuade children to plant two trees each In they have come from a well-equipped training their school grounds. 4. The planning and establishment. In a case such as this It may be establishment of tree nurseries, by children, in better to target the schools themselves, every school.

Environmental Education 76 Though tile assessment of the environmental mental education programme, wherever it Is and educational value of such projects is neces- based. The answers, in this case, will be unique sariiy subjective, tile use of this simple classifica- to Botswana. I hope that these unique answers tion process enables the more beneficial meth- will be discovered as a result of this conference ods and outputs to be identified. Obviously, and they will lead to a well-planned and effec projects which fall into Sector B (high educative environmental education programme for tional value and high environmental benefits) the country. are the best, followed by those In sectors A and Careful planning and foresight are the pre 1). requisites of any venture. I have broken down In the process ot selecting methods tc use, or the planning process Into discrete boxes in order outputs to produce, we should also be aware of to highlight the steps Involved. However, at the another danger--the glamour of modern same time I have tried ind;cate that these proc technology swamping the simple value of esses are closely linked. When planning a traditional means of communicating and edu- programme it must be viewed as a whole as well cating. as in Its parts. The showing of a film or video is all to often When crossing unknown country the wise seen as superior to locally produced drama, the person follows a map. The marked route may singing of ballads or story-telling around a fire. have to be changed because of flooded rivers, Yet these simple and familiar methods of impassable roads or broken bridges but the map communicating ideas are invariably more effec- is on hand to guide the traveller in these diffi tive. Information imparted through these culties. traditional means is better understood, better Similarly, an environmental education related to by the audience and better acted upon programme may change and evolve as it devel than a 'high-tech' show in which the medium ops. Nevertheless, the initial careful planning swamps tile message. The value of the tradi- will have established ('mapped') the guidelines tional approach must never be forgotten. to see It through any difficulties that may arise. As I pointed out at the start, in this paper I There is no doubt that planning and coordl have raised many questions-and given almost nation are essential. An unplanned and un no answers. coordinated programme Is, unfortunately, likely The questions are tie ones that need to be to create more problems than It solves. asked during the establishment of any environ

77 ANational Planning Conference Experiences in environmental education in primary education in Botswana Sandra A Shaw Co biultantto the Curriculum Development Unit, MinistryofEducation

Introduction with other projects in the non-formal sector The Outreach Programme, initiated by the to develop resource materials such as a United Nations Environment Programme, is a Teacher's Rejurcr Handbook for environ coalition of local, national and international mental education organisations working to disseminate informa tion on environmental and health Issues. I was Since the core of the project involved the recruited in 1988, for two years, by the United formal educaton sector, Ifelt that I could Nations Volunteer Service as Outreach Co- achieve these aims more effectively from the ordinator to implement the project In Botswana. Curriculum Development Unit of the Ministry Thlie Kalahari Conservation Society was tile of Education as well as from the Kalahari Con receiving agency and the project was supported servation Society. I considered it to be most by the Ministry of Education. Important to have the fullest support from the The major objective of the projcct was to Ministry of Fducation for the project to be raise awareness of the environment among successful. teachers and pupils at primary level through a number of activities. Unfortunately, from the Implementation beginning, there were communication problems Liaison between UNIP on the one hand, and the Minis- It was clear that there were different organi try of lEducation and Kalahari Conservation zations involved non-formally in environmental Society on the other. It eventually became education in Botswana. The Kalahari Concerva necessary to draw up an in-country project tion Society had Initiated the formation of the based on the original terms of reference and the Environmental Educaion Reference Group co-ordinator's experience so far. This project was involving such groups to co-ordinate activities then renamed Botswana Environmental Educa- and ideas. I found this group to be a valuable tion Project (BIEI-). Donor agencies were ap- resource for information and for sharing experi proached to suppert the Project and a positive ences. response was received from NORAI). Members represented organisations such as The revised tasks for B-IP were: the Forestry Association of Botswana, Thusano lefatsheng, the Wildlife Clubs Association of " to establish a network for the distribution of Botswana and the National Museum, among Action Magazine and other environmental others. I was keen for teachers to be aware of education materials. these extra resources and therefore promoted " to participate in and eventually conduct in- their activities at workshops. The group has service workshops for headteachers, teachers compiled and produced a booklet for teachers and education officers. called "Teaching Aids and Resource Materials " to visit schools to assist with the integration Relating to the Environment". This guide was of different subject areas into environmental dispatched to all schools and has recently been education updated and reproduced with assistance from " to support innovations such as Project Swedish Society for the Conservation of Nature. Method and Breakthrough to Setswana. The Wil!dlife Clubs together with KCS and " to act as resource person at the Curriculum B1I:11 launched an annual National Conserva )evelopment Unit and assist officers in tion Art and Essay Competition for all levels In Incorporating environmental education into the formal education sector. The response was their subject area- very good and entries were received from all " to liase with CI)U, MOE and KCS through over Botswana. Winning entries have been membership of the Environmental Education received from the remoter areas of the country Reference Group. such as Shakawe and Etsha. " to try to reach children who are not part of the formal education system, through Ilason Environmental Educ:alion 78 Soil concepts are much easier to put across when

they can be demonstrated in the outdoor classroom. ., - . /)v

Action Magazine " Action Isan environmental health magazlne which Isdeveloped in Harare. Action was estab- ! lished in response to a UNEI' initiative through the Outreach Network to establish an environ mental health magazine for school children aged 9-14 In Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia. The magazine also includes instrudional materi als oriented for the use of untrained teachers in " the three countries. Action was first conceived is a regional magazine. The topics and issues covered are regional by nature and are directly related to common Issues in the school sylla buses. Action therefore supports the official - school curriculum as supplementary, user friendly environmental education material. Initially, Action Magazine was sent out from the KCS with the help of the CI)U. Assistance was given by the NIOI in providing a computer ised, updated list of school addresses '; the country. l.ater, the operation was moved to the Curriculum l)evelopment Unit to ensure cunti nuity despite possible staff changes. Acompeti tion accompanies every issue and responso' to this has grown enormously. Many students from 4 schools all over Botswana have been successful and have been rewarded with Action T-shirts .. , and extra magazines for their schools.

Feedback about the usefulness of Action in ,. A the classroom was very positive and I requested further copies from Harare so that ea(h primary school could receive ten copies eachi. I also sent three to four copies to ConimiunityJunlor "- Secondary schools. Reference copies were sent to X Education Officers, Teacher Training Colleges, Educational Broadcasting Unit and other estab- . lishments. During subsequent workshops, it was found that many teachers had not actually received the magazinx Follow-up investigations revealed that many copies arrived at the sdool but remained on the headteacher's desktop. A " circular from the MOE encouraged headteachers N to pass the magazines on to the teachers. Teach- -, / ,, ers also requested assistance in how best to use the magazine in the classroom. Time was spent '; " at workshops throughout the country on how - *- ' best to use Action in schools, given tile limited number of copies available. Some primary schools have over 1000 pupils but few have enough classrooms to comfortably accomodate such numbers. In order to ensure that Action was being used effectively, I Invited schools to nominate an Interested teacher to be Action Co-ordinator for their schools, Involving responsibility for the

79 ANational Planning Conference distribution of and access to the magazine. Iwas Action, Outreach and We Care. I took the thus able to meet Interested teachers who had opportunity to work with teachers as to how responded positively and have been working Action magazine and Outreach materl?ls could with some of them ever since, be used In tile classroom in conjunction with In order to promote Action as a more re- the syllabus. gional magazine, a writers workshop was held In Such occasions were also learning experi Harare in 1990 to plan and organise writing for ences. On one occasion, I was Invited to contrib future editions of Action. Participants from ute to a workshop on the Project approach. UNIT Nairobi, WWK (UK) Zambia, Zimbabwe, Groups of teachers were busy planning their lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana identified topics and activities. I joined a group who were twelve topics considered desirable content for working on The School Grounds. The first future issues. These topics were to be relevant to activity was an observational walk around the all the SADCC countries and were to fit into or grounds. T17he teacher was very well organised extend the present curricula. It was agreed that and the children were well equipped with clip each country organlse a.i editorial team to boards and pencils. They were asked to observe reseawch and write twe of ii, issues over tile their surroundings and note down what they following three years. could see. I was very surprised when the chil We were introduced to the steps in magazine dren noted only buildings, people, fences and production arid then in mixed-country groups the odd tree to record. I realised at that point we wrote an issue on Pesticides. After brain- that children need to be taught/guided to de storming the topic, themes were selected and velop their observational skills arid that this is allocated to pages and then this written work an important foundation for environmental was allocate d to mixed-country groups for input. education at primary level. The writers indlcated what w . required for I had enlisted the help of six interested, illustration and the Action team then worked to enthusiastic teachers who had contacted me to put together a draft copy. act as an environmental education reference The three Botswana representatives from panel. They were able to review arid try out CI)U formed the core of Botswana's writing rnateria! in development, as well as to contrib team. They were joined by teachers arid educa- ute toward the design and execution of specific tion officers and worked together to produce a workshops for environmental education. To draft on ihe challenging topic of Ecosystems. gether we launched two major workshops in the This issue was then sent to larare for editing Kgatlerig arid Kweneng districts for teachers. and illustration and is, we understand, due to be Htere, we promoted environmental education as published in the coming months. Our remain- being an approach to learning arid not a sepa ing issue to be w,ilten is on School Gardens. rate subject an worked with the participants on The workshop was a valuable learning experi- a hands-on, discovery approach to the environ ence as well as an excellent opportunity to meet merit. The week-long workshops focused on colleagues involved in environmental education information arid activities of benefit to teachers in the region arid share experiences, in promoting environmental e(lucation in their schools. I deliberately Lincouraged mnembers of Workshops the panel to conduct aspects of the workshops ln-srrvice training for headteachers arid themselves in order to feel involved arid thus teachers throughout Botswana had been facili- committed as well as to gain experience. tated through the Primary E-ducation Improve- Teachers were also given information about ment Project at the University of Botswaria arid orgarnizations involved non-formally in environ tile In-Service dopartment of tile Ministry of mental education such as the Forestry Assocla Education. Given that environmental education tion of Botswana, the Wildlife Education Unit is not considered to be a separate subject at this anJ KCS. They were invited to present their level, the co-ordinator decided to participate In, aci ivitles to the teachers with a view to assisting where possible, subject workshops already in them in carrying out environmental education progress as well as national workshops set up to activities in their schools. Such assistance was disseminate information on new MOE iinititives offered by means of giving illustrated talks to such as Continuous Assessment, the Project teachers and pupils, providing printed informa Method of teaching and Breakthrough to tion arid having on-site demonstration activities Setswana. such as seed collection arid germination, tree I became involved in as many workshops as planting and care of young seedlings. Teachers possible, arid was given time to present Informa- were encouraged to develop Wildlife Clubs in tion about environmental education through their schools in order to pursue envirorimenal lecture, video, discussion and displays of avail- education activities arid further raise awareness able environmental education materials, such as of the environment among both staff and [nvirrnmenial Eduanion 80 pupils. Through the Fnvironmental Education schools, to show that the content can include Reference Group, these organisations produced more than one subject area at a time. As adults, the "Teaching Aids and Resource MateriaL we do not experience the world In relating to the Fnvironment" booklet. compartmentalised sublects. For example, in During the workshops, teachers especially examining the topic ol soil erosion, children can enjoyed a day devoted to the exploration of at once experience social studies, mathematics, natural surroundings during which we focused language and agriculture concepts. 1hey will on skills of investigation, observation, identifica- need to ask why and how the soil Is being lost? tion and classification. i, aciers were given a How much is lost over time? What does the worksheet guide to explore the environment area look like? Where Atgoes? What are the using all their senses (apart from taste) as well L.- cffects on the agricultural potential of the land? the intellect. A substantial amount of time was What are the consequent effects on people's spent on the affective components of teaching lives today and In years to come? and learning through description and apprecia- We studied our syllabuses for examples of tion of the natural world in balance and people's objectives and content which could be covered effect on this balance, using the environment as a teachf:-F resource. When we returned to the "classroom", teach- In the Kgatleng district, an ,.nnfj'iastic group ers oreanised their collected findings into dis- of teachers who had attended ie workshop plays that demonstrated what they had discov- formed an Environmental Elducation Committee ered and how they wanted to use tile .nfonma- and actually conducted another workshop for tion. We had information on medicinal plants, teachers from three schools in their area. They insects and birds, soil and pollution including eventually combined with the Project Comr-t charts, graphs, games and models. The whole tee and are active today at the Mochudi Educa exercise was designed to be easily replicable with tion Centre. their own classes in which children were encour aged to discover/explore by themse!ves using Environmental study areas their own life experiences as a fo',ndation on I had noticed in travelling around Botswana which to build. T[he teacher's rcle is considered that primary schools were commonly deficient that of guide to organise and structure learning in classroom accomodation. There are however outcomes. largc areas that constitute the school grounds. We also spent time setting up nature trails These areas serve as playground. "classrooms", around tile Centre, guiding tile learner to find and outside kitchen yet there is often plenty o, out information about the natural environment space to spare. In order to make enviroirmental and relationships therein. Again, this exercise education meaningful, the environment itself was carried out so that teachers could, with the needs to be utilised as an outdoor classroom. children, develop such trails in their areas for such areas could, I felt, demonstrate concepts their schools. of interdependence In action arid through TFhrough actively working in his natural understanding this micro-environment, come to environment, and participating in its changes, apply their knowledge to a larger picture of the the child should come to experience plants, world. Through using such an area for learning, seeds, insects, patterns arid eventually relation- it is hoped that pupils, in working together, ships in nature. It is only through developing an develop positive attitudes of sharing ard co understanding that the child can come to operation whilst Involved in problem-solving appreciate and desire to protect his environ- activities. Together with input through the merit. syllabus and supplementary materials, it should be possible to encourage the development of The syllabus desirable behaviour patterns which will eventu One of the major concerns of teachers is ally be called into play later in their lives, for adequately covering the content of the syllabus. improving and protecting their environment. It is important to note that schooling is often It was appropriate to try to deve.op "outside seen as a path to upward mobility and that classrooms" in the form of environmental study exam success is of the greatest importance, areas. Initially, I worked with a leacher arid her Innovations are met with suspicion because they class to develop such an area. The area was are seen as extra input into an already over- selected close to the school garden arid we began loaded curriculum but also because teachers are by iapring the site. We worked together to not confident in skills arid methods necessary select components to be developed on tlxir for implementation, sites. Pupils selected groups to establish . com l)uring tile workshops, demonstration post pit, a weather station (for which they were integrated lessons on topics of plants arid soil to make the Instruments), a rockciy habitat, a were presented, using children from local soil pit, a soil erosion demonstration ai.ea arid a

81 A National Planning C(oni'wnce waste water area in which to grow fruit trees. Curriculum development I consciously tried to prompt the participants My role at CDU was that of resource Into formulating their own ideas so that the person.The process of curriculum development prcduct would be more likely to be sustainable. tkes a long time. It seemed that the most They had to feel that they "owned" the area and effective way to include more environmentally that its development was theirs. My role was to oriented concepts and activities into the curricu supervfse and to guide. This meant that the pace lum was to work with subject officers by provid of development has been quite slow, but, Ihope ing multi-media resource materi:.s to encourage more sustainable In the long run for future them to make necessary additions and adjust groups in the various schools. Such study areas ments to their syllabuses in the shorter term. would differ in design throughout the country I carried out a situational analysis of the In response to local conoftions. syllabus to establish how far topics exist relating In working with a group of children in to the natural world and man's interaction with Lobatse, I learned that traditionally our children his environment. I found much material which I have a wealth of environmental knowledge that felt could be extended/adapted to include can oe encouraged. We were discussing a wild objectives, content and activities in environ area that they had decided to leave in its natural mental education. This was to form the founda state and observe ecological proce.ses taking tion of the Teacher's Resource Handbook which place over a period of time. There were many is planned as an environmental-educat!on wild plants being ied by water from -aleaking extension of/supplement to the current syllabus tap. I became enthusiatic about finding out the and discussed later in this paper. names of the plants and their possible uses and building up a school herbarium. Whilst I was Radio working on means to find the names, the chil- Since tile radio is an effective means of dren looked very amused and were able te name disseminating inform:tHon nationally, I ap each and every one of the plants, as well as tell proached the Educational Broadcasting Unit me what they are used for in different parts of with Action and the Outreach materials in the the country! We then worked out a method of hope of encouraging and assisting writers to classifying this information by making informa- enrich the radio programmes for schoo: with tion charts about the plants. added conservation-oriented content. I was The class, in groups, produced many charts asked to assist them in developing programme which we used latei at workshops. Furthermore, content for upper primary Science on conserva it became clear that the pupils respondeu position-oriented topics which teachers were having tively becaose tneir experiences and knowledge some difficulties with. These topics included of their environment, learned primarily from plants, soil, food chaiis and webs and animals. their families and community, was being vali- This was successful and we were able to putlicise dated and extended. Such lharning is therefore the availability of Action magazit. 2and further seen as culturally real and relevant to the ciiiid's inrormation on environmental educa1con from life and is thus well received and moreover, BEE.I This is one wzy in which the out-of likely to be supported by the community. school population could be reached. The basic components are now in use. Other classes in the school use the rockery, for exam- Materv.uls development ple, wher, teaching about reptiles since they are The project was provided with 3 complete set generally present in this hdbitat. At present, the of Outreach materials. These are copyright-free group, together with the teachers, are looking adaptable materials containing information on into the establishment of new and exciting environmental-health issues from other coun projects. One of these is to establish a tree tries both more and less developed. Outreach nursery with a view to supplying other establish- has been used to develop children's magazines ments with established seedlings. This is based such as Action and Pied Crow in Africa and Asia. on the highl- successful and valuable Green Belf,' I had used examples from the various packs Movement in Kenya. It clearly supplies extra at workshops to demonstrate how they could be motivation to care for the seedlings and to find used. Teachers generally found it diffl alt to see the most effective ways to help them to grow, tle relationship between the materials and the given Botswana's unpredictable and low rainfall syllabus that they had to use. I reproduced Issues patterns. Other areas are keen to keep some on Water and Soil and distributed them to the livestock such as small mammals or birds, tackle Education Centres throughout the country for the problem of waste disposal, and design use by teachers with an offer to provide more on appropriate technology, for example, grain request. I received little response main:y, I feel, storage. because the potential of such material needs to be demonstrated to teachers in order for them to Environmental Education 82 Delegates visited the site of Bokaa Dam, anew construction designed to provide water for the

growth of Gaborone. 1',

be utillsed. It became clear that materials more specific to teachers in Botswana were necessary. The Teach er's Resource Handbook for environmental education was thus designed on the basis of our nngoing experiences with the syllabus, teachers i. d pupils. It was felt that much information was needed on the different topics and ideas for activities that teachers could carry out with their pupils, as well as strategies that could be imple

mented fairly easily in schools to facilitate and - encourage education about the environment.

Subject officus at CDU provide critical support ' through a -eference group which reviews each 3 unit. 3 I felt that in demonstrating to the teachers knowledge and understanding of the syllabus, U they would be more open to include environ mental education both in content and as an approach to learning. I had also become aware that whilst there exists valuable material in the Teachers Guides (currently being updated from issue in 1982) for subject areas, teachers, under standably, do not consult guides for Standards I other than the one they are teaching, yet these guides can provide stir ulus for teaching ideas and reinforcement of basic concepts already what is being taught from the syllabus. taught. During the project, I collected a number of The book is cross-curricular and comprises 7 reference materials on environmental education units on the following topics: soil, water, trees and these are now housed In the Resource and plants, population, fuel and energy, pollu- Centre of the Curriculum Development and tion and wildiffe living together. Each Unit Evaluation Departrient for the use of officers in contains reacher's Notes which include 8-10 developing their curricula. major concerts and attitudes to be covered through carrying out a variety of activities, Some observations on BEEP many of which link the school with the commu- Constraints nilty. Msessment ideas follow each set of activi- There were initial problems with UNEP In ties. establishing the direction of the project and this It also contains information on Botswana's certainly delayed an effective beginning. It also environment, environmental education and meant that the project really only ran for eight strategies for the implementation of ei,,iron- een instead of twenty-four months. This was mental education in schools. There will be a unfortunate because a level of awareness and picture case study of two young people growing expectation had been reached among teachers, up in Bot.wana, to illustrate progress through as evidenced by the requests we were receiving following desirable and undesirable environ- for assistance through further workshops and mental management practices. It is hoped that materials. It was frustrating not to be able to this story will demonstrate in action, the major plan positive responses to all such requests, concepts and attitudes which appar in the core given the level of interest and enthusiasm. unitm.This component may be adaptable for use Memrbers of our panel were able to meet In l'tieracy classes, some requests but difficulties &rise when such In the classroom, it i,, foreseen that any in-service activities conflict with their normal teacher, from Stdl-9, should oe able to find classroom duties. This matter is under discus ztralghtforward information and activities on sion. environmental topics to use with hts'"er class in In general, I felt that teachers found environ virtually all subject areas to support and extend mental education as an approach to learning,

83 A National Planning Conference and not a separate subject, rather challenging as of the project, in November 1990, the Teacher's it differed from the teaching methods most of Resource Handbook was in its infancy. Requests them had received in their pre-service training, to complete the task were favourably received We found that they were not confident in using and the first draft is now nearing completion. It more innovative approaches to teaching unless is being produced in-house at CDU with support they had had some experience of the Break- from USAID. The distribution and coordination through and Project methods, despite the fact of Act!on magazine is now undertaken by the that they have knowledge and experience of the Senior Science Curriculum Development Officer environment, and, as such, has become an official, long-term Many assumptions are made about the activity at CDU. tcher's readiness to dapt to such innovations. Those teachers who had been involved in the Whilst the teacher may be eager and wiiling to prolect have maintained their enthusiasm and try such methods, inexperience In training and committment. They themselves receive requests practice In the necessary accompanying ap- to assist other schools in the development of proaches may affect such efforts adversely, lower Study Areas and are eager in their response. The self confidence and thus discourage further same teachers in addition to some new mem attempts. There are not, as yet, enough official bers, are still functioning as the environmental su,)port materials in the field to encourage education panel. Through this panel, they innovation are since curriculum development and assisting with the development of the 'reacher's revision is, by nature, a lengthy process. Resource Handbook with contributions, trialling Furthermore, teachers are, understandably, and evaluation. under pressure to produce good examination Arrangements were made for one member to results and following the syllabus content attend a three month certificate ccurse in envi carefully is considered the best way to achieve ronmental education at Jordanhii College of gocd passes. There was much enthusiasm when Education in the UK. Since his return last year, teachers found that they had actually been he has continued with in-service work in his covering environmental education and that district and outside. This is very encouraging through using the natural environment to teach, although not ideal because so many requests they were actually meeting many existing have been received that he has to balance them scientific, agricultural anA oial studies objec- against his own teaching load. tives. Another member of the panel has recently Mor'nover, many teachers are working with left for the same course and hopefully will be large classes outside in the school grounds since able to assist in in-service in her district on her there is Inadequate classroom accoinodation. return at the end of the year. I am hoping that Again, teachers are committed to teaching the we can eventually establish a cadre syllabus of teachers as effectively as possible under difficult in the districts who have been exposed to both physical conditions and may feel unabi to the theoretical background to environmental attempt topic or theme work or using tMe envi- education and also who have had some experi ronment. ence in implementing/teaching environmental Neither the status of environmental educa- education hi schools across the country. tion or the profile of the project at that time was The Educational Broadcasting Unit have high. environmental education was also in continued to be very supportive in publicising competition for attention in the syllabus and the annual National Conservation Art and Essay among teachers with other innovations such as Competitions and have been happy to relay the Guidance and Counselling and the Project results over the air as well as to read out the Method. Teachers therefore considered these winning essays. Initiatives as extra workloads. I suggest that My experiences were very positive, responses future projects In environmental education in enthusiastic. I am convinced that teachers and the formal sector command a higher official children in primary schools In Botswana status have and profile so that necessary innovations valuable knowledge and experience of their and adaptations both In content and method natural environments. It is time to convince may then be effected in the teacher training, them that ttis knowledge can form a solid curriculum development and national examina- foundation for teaching and learning through a tions. problem-solving approach and the development of positive Conclusion attitudes, by according environmen tal education greater empnasis across the cur Despite the fact that BEEP ran for a short rdculum, and validating its importance by In period o time, much is still in place. At the end cluding Its concepts and objectives in national examinatfons.

Environmental Education 84 The role of non-formal education in env,'onmental education Nnagolo Lucas Tau Senior DistrictAdult Education Officer,Department ofNon-Formal Education

This presentation is based on the National ment plans based on social, cultural and eco Conservation Strategy for Non-Formal Environ- nomic Issues that take Into account geographical mental Education Document which clearly and environmental differences In the country. spells out the role the Department of Non- Learning groups facilitated by literacy group formal Education can play concerning this very leaders engage in discussion and action based on important national issue. such key words as leuba (drought), dikgong We take delight in reiterating the conference (firewood), malele (littering) and so on. The objectives because they make good logical sense, Literacy Group I - ders, forming the important indeed they table for discussion very pertinent link here could be brought together through Issues; those that if not taken care of would workshops and seminars where relevant Issues impinge on the development process. Inaction pertaining to environment could be discussed. in matters involving our fragile environment The literacy group itself constitutes a ready may bring tragic consequences. It is true that group of people who no longer have to be "the earth's resources are sufficient for all living mobilised but are just keen to continue learning. creatures's needs, if they are managed efficiently This then would create an ideal situation to and sustainably". But it is imperative that our begin discussion on environmental problems environment especially in Botswana is seriously and issues. The Department is planning with thought about in order to avert catastrophc. It other agencies to conduct writers workshops for makes good sense to prevent damage rather the development of reading materials on differ than wait for damage to occur and then embark ent topics that would include environmental on a difficult (if not impossible) restoration issues. Since the Department of Non-Formal process. Education is represented in the National Conser First of all let us talk about the role the vation Strategy Coordinating Committee, we Department of Non-Formal Education can play. believe the issues under discussion at this con I believe the Department has a special role to ference will be adequately covered and the play in that it is an enabling organisation be- general public would expect to see numerous cause of the crucial role literacy has in commu- booklets on environmental problems published nication. Here I am thinking of the crucial role in the not too distant future. The current and education has in any society. An education new readers we have in mind are members of system has the potential to play an important the general public who in most cases dwell In role in developing tile kind of society a country the rural areas and who on a daily basis have to wants to have. Literacy in this context is vital make decisions that greatly affect our fragile because apart from being a basic human right, it environment-for instance felling of trees for expands an individuals's choice, control over different purposes, firewood collection, livestock one's environment and allows for collective grazing and ploughing. action, which otherwise would iiot be possible. Education's role In development is crucial Literacy is a tool for the success of other here because we are talking of large numbers of development programmes by improving com- people who are either illiterate or semi-literate munication skills and making it possible for adults, many of them working on the land who people to acquire useful information. Above all, are already set In their traditional ways. Here we a literate Individual will assume greater powers are touching on a very important aspect of of communication, critical consciousness and education-the changing of attitudes. Many control over his environment. educationlsts would agree that the liberation of The Department of Non-Formal Education people's minds Is an important component of has great potential in disseminating Information education because this Is really what non-formal through Its functional literacy activities. The education Isall about; the liberation of a person content of the primers and follow up booklets Is to become a fully functioning member of the built around the problem Identified In develop- society. Education should be seen as teaching

85 ANational Planning Conference people to look after themselves better. People will have to cooperate on Literacy is an essential this one be part of non-formal cause harsh penalties alone will not do the education; an Instrument through trick. which other The heart of the problem lies in the fact that skills can be acquired; and essential for acquiring there is very more rational little knowledge and Information attitudes In all human relations. It that would make the general Isbelieved that literacy public environ isone of the major mentally knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated instruments for the development of human citizens who will work together (or at skills and abilities especially best for those who have Individually) towards a situation where not had that opportunity to there enrol into the will be a balance between quality of life and formal school. Adult literacy again gives all quality of environment. members of the society the ability to communi- Then the question of the target cate by the written word population and In so doing fully also needs to be considered because conserva participate In all aspects of the society. tion really is everybody's Other non-formal business and It should education technologies be emphasised that everybody can that could be used to contribute disseminate Information significantly to a better quality of environment. should take cognizance of the varied reading It may be necessary levels to mention the main target of the clientele and also the strengths and groups that could be limitations of the at the forefront of the media used. In other words, a recipients of an environmental education combination pro of the available media of commu- gramme. These would include: nication Is advocated. Some of the methods that have been used in Botswana with a fair amount 9 political and traditional authorities of and success are as follows: development workers, " radio and cassettes have been 9 children still at school, used to rein- * children and adults who have never been to force printed materials school, * popular theatre and drama could be revived * participants in the National Literacy Pro to perform village drama which could be gramme, watched live or recorded for listening to over e special groups like grass cutters, wood cutters, a radio hunters, and those * who gather resources for the kgotla as a forum for community consul- commercial purposes. tation and debate is one resource that needs to be extensively used for mobillsation and The coordination aspect of the whole educational purposes. pro gramme is very Important and this is where government departments as well as non-govern The best development communication agents ment organisations are will come In. Closer coordi the members of the local community them- nation among all selves. agencies involved In environ Village people will often accept the mental education is vital-in advice of fact as mentioned Informal community leaders rather earlier the Issue of the environment than the word of should be government officers, the concern of everybody and everybody Let us now for a moment should look at the environ- be prepared to contribute towards a better mental problems facing Botswana. The Ministry quality of environment. of Agriculture It will be seen from this Isat present trying to explore that environmental education ways of using Botswana's is a concern not fragile grazing and only of the Ministry of Education but arable resources without of every causing too much long- Ministry of Government, and it is term damage. The Department Important of Wildlife and that all ministries view it this way because National Parks emphasises careful this management will make things much easier. The Ministries of of the wildlife resource. One corrosive Issue that Agriculture, Health, we face Isthat of Commerce and Industry, desertification. This is mainly Local Government,Lands and Housing, caused by the Indiscriminate Mineral cutting down of Resources and Water Affairs, to mention some, trees by the people; this problem needs to be should watched be fully involved because they deal with closely. Indeed it merits urgent atten- a wide spectrum of the population. tion. The mineral And added resource which Isnon-renew- to all these we also have non-governmental able requires careful planning. Another most organisations serious like trade unions, political parties, of our environmental problems In Bot- churches, women and swana, which will youth organisations, soon reach crisis proportions, commercial organlsations and so is that of litter. on. It cannot Our surroundings may become be over emphasised that coordination our major problem on an in another generation at the issue as important at the environment rate at which we are is so vital filling It up with all kinds of Ifindeed we are aiming towards a Junk. Very better quality serious attention is required here. of environment. 'i hank you. With this one almost everybody Isa culprit. Environmental Education 86 The need for coordination FM Leburu PrincipalCurriculumDevelopment Officer, Curriculum Development and Education Department, MinistryofEducation

Introduction Questions for discussion From this week's discussions a lot has c How can we set up an effective networking emerged that calls for a need for effective coordi- system that will allow for: nation among programmes addressing enviroi mental issues. To mention a few, the following a effective Information dissemination on observations came up during the discussions: environmental issues, e 'multi' way communication among all parties " Environmental issues affect all of us and we involved e.g. planners, implementors and are in one way or another aiming for the recipients of the programmes to allow for common goal tnough our priorities and flow of information and establishing under perceptions of the is3ues may differ from time standing on what is being done by the differ to time. ent groups, * continued consultation among the formal, " We have identified the roles played or that non formal and informal sector In setting could be played by the formal, the non realistic targets and goals and looking into formal and the informal sector In environ- ways of avoiding unnecessary duplication of mental education and this clearly demon- programmes. This will allow for cost effective strates that there are many actors in this area implementation of programmes with maxi * There is a relationship between environmen- mum utilisation of the resources, tal issues and development and that environ- * an effective monitoring, evaluation and mental education occupies . key role in appraisal of programmes being implemented? addressing environmental problems hence it is essential for sustainable development * What roles should the formal, non formal " There is a need for effective planning if and the informal sector play in the setting up environmental programmes have to achieve of a coordinating machinery? the goals set and if their impact has to be e What are our (formal, non formal and infor sustained mal) priorities and time frame in setting up " The de!ivery systems for environmental this coordinating machinery? education need to be addressed if the desired * Is there a need for setting up any adininistra change In attitudes and values towards the tive structure to advise, monitor and facilitate environment is to be achieved. Implementation of enviintrrental education programmes? The few observations I have highlighted above call for a need for an effective networking, These are just a few of .'Ae questions you communication and monitoring system if we could ask there are many more still to be asked. are all going to achieve the same goal. The questions that we should be asking ourselves during tiis session are:

87 ANational Planning Conferenc," Closing Address Louis Nchindo Chairman, Kalahari ConservationSociety

Ladies and gentlemen, I have one advantage done. I'm saying this with the greatest in closing this conference: respect since Idid not to our Government. But on this issue it is up to participate in it and I'm not sure what you you to grab discussed, the Issue and run with it. I feel free to say whatever comes to We in the KCS have alwdys lamented mind. the fact that Batswana seem uninterested; it is a pity One of the things that I think Ishould em- hecause this is a very important phasise from aspect of the life what I have heard this morning on of our country and our economy. I have the question "What aIways step next, what do you do believed that any organisation that purpo' ts to next?" to ensure that whai you have been speak for Botswana, that purports to recommend aiscussing Is implemented, is your personal to government policies that involvement. affect the develop I think cne of the things you ment of Botswana should have Batswana could do in it Is to join tile Kalahari Conservation not necessarily as a majority, but Batswana Society (KCS) and be active in it, because for should be there, because it is only Batswana several years now we have pioneered environ- with a long term commitment mental education. to this country that can make really sensible contributions. I We were the first non-governmental organi- urge you, please, join the society or form other sation in Botswana to start a unit devoted to ones; Idon't mind, but be environmental active! It would be education. We have supported very nice if we could see more of our scientists, the Wildlife Clubs, and have actually employed the teachers, be they expatriate educationalists or not, being to spiead our message. We did active in the Society. It is only this bed in this way that use we felt that adults are set in their the Society can become strong, so that ways and it was it can important to start with their effectively help in spreading this message of children. environmental education. I'm very encouraged and very pleased to see You know, it has become the norm in this conference take Bot place, in fact I would call it swana that conservation and environment are a milestone in tile conservation strategy of the prerogative of those Botswana. who live in the For the first time teachers, both at Okavango and Kasane-if you sell petrol primlary and to tertiary and secondary levels as well tourists, you are a conservationist, if you as government people sell have come together to vegetables to tourists in Maun, you are a conser discuss the issues and plan. vationist. Well, I think it affects us all. We I should warn you that sometimes our Gov- should all be conservationists. ernment is good , t articulating various sensible More importantly we need policies, thinkers; the but over the last few years that I have educationalists/scientists who been can look at this active in the economy of Botswana, I have thing more sensibly, more scientifically. noticed a reluctance I say in the implementation, this because I ani afraid, looking around tile They are soretimes slow in Implementing their world at conservation, that we find science policies and I think that this particular cause, being replaced by whim. It's an emotive issue the cause of tile environmental education, as and it's so easy to run away well as conservation, from scientific facts lends itself to private and just talk emotionally to influence public initiatives. You as individuals, as organisations opinion. Inever forget a and as letter I ge' Yome yea's private organisations need to seize the back from America from an old lady, initiative who wrote and do something about this major to me after seeing the first film issue. Don't against Botswana leave iRto the Govertiment! A where they said we were killing a lot Government of animals Official is herc today, going to with our cordon fences. It 3ai-J, "Dear Louis Paris tomorrow, and after that I'm sure he is Nchindo, I am writing to you fiora Colorado. I going somewhere eise. And this Isthe problem, am an old lady. I believe in people reincarnation and in Government have a lot on their plate you should do something about these and if you wildebeest leave things to them, they don't get it ibecause I might come back as a wildebeest!" Envitonmental Eduction 811 Students from Maitlamo Primary School in Lobatse id '_ ,4 ':'. examining banana plants in their school grounds. M

Well, the point about this letter is that it is the "-; ' gullible public that most so-called environmen talists or conservationists play upon. They prey on these little people and take their money and whether or not they are pushing the right cause or the wrong cause or are telling facts or lies, 44 they are supported by these poor old people who are often told a load of rubbish. It is up to ' " you who live here who are articulate, educated, " and who know better to actually stand up and tell tile truth, not just to our own people, but to the world! For the last five years, Botswana has been reeling under attack from people who probably have never been here, and who are not really interested in Botswana. It is only through proper environmental education that we can teach our people so that they will be able to stand up for themselves. I would like to com mend dhe Government on their National Con servation Strategy. It took a little while but I presurne this is because it was thoroughly con sidered. I hope it will be implemented because it is vital; as vital for Botswana as it isvital for the rest of the world. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't want to keep you longer, I know you are very good speakers you are all teachers. I am not and therefore I ': don't wish to pretend to lecture to you. Thank you very much for inviting me-I now wish to declare the conference closed.

9a an4

89 ANational Planning Conneren-c Annex 2 Conference workshop papers

91 A National Planning Conference Current experience in active environmental education at Mochudi Education Centre-using the child's experience T Platte Education Centre Director

17he Mochudi Education Centre F"nvironmen- tion skills as well as communicative and coop tal Education Committee gave a presentation erative skills. about the Centre's environmental activities. The "llepupils need to reflect proficiency in Committee is made up of primary school teach- comprehending instructions as the tasks pre ers from various schools in Mochudi. This serves pared for them are learner centred. as an advisory committee for teachers in Kgatl- Still during the orientation the pupils eng District. get their mathematical skills of direction and meas The Centre has had an evironmental educa- urement developed. tion programme since 1988. "The Centre serves thirty-two primary schools The L-nvironmental Education Committee and eight secondary schools has designed in Kgatleng since activities on environmental educa- the Centre has transport to collect pupils from tion and compiled them in a teachers station lxox. schools outside Mochudi. Topics covered by the activities in the box For planning the activities, the teacher with Include litter, stones, soil, water, insects, nature the pupils plan their own activities, in relation as the to the five senses and animals. These activities have to be planned for any particular topics are arranged according to the nature class. Most of the planning involves identifying colours. Also in the box are workcards with study spots. problem solving questions for the learners. The environmental committee helps to adjust Primary school children were found to be an the teachers plan to be most suitable but the important target group for environmental individual programme for a school is drawn education activities. up Primaiy school pupils as individually. Teachers have their own long tc~m they are the future generation should be taught and specific objectives. to conserve the envionment. They are also seen lnvironmental education activities at the as an appropriate dissemination channel to the Centre are usually planned for a special time adult population of the country. allocated with consideration given to other Thlie learners Immediate environment is used subjects of the curriculum. to help them acquire the knowldge they need The focus is mainly towards changing the about the enviro,.ment. Serious consideration is learners habits and how they relate with the given to advance planning in preparing activi- environment. The pupils should appreciate and ties for pupils. learn nature. Attitudes of pupils have been The Centre has set aside Wednesday morn- noted to be slowly changing. Foc instance, ings for pupils together with their teachers to children sometimes very quickly kill creatures If work at the Centre on environmental education, they feel thereatened by the creature. The teachers' advisor at the Centre would Environmental education Isatwo way proc normally be there to help with the initial orien- ess-teachers also learn from their tation pupils. That of learners in environmental education, means the role of the teacher Ischanging The orientation . He/ mainly Icoks at assisting the she Is more an advisor or guider than the "man learners to develop research skills dnd observa- ager" of the classroom.

Environmental Education 92 Experiences with environmental education in pre- and in service education in Swaziland Irma Allen Director In-Service Education and Training, M.O.E. Swaziland

Introduction in-service workshops, and finally, It is working At international forums, since the "ilisi Its way Into the pre-service curriculum. Conference, teachers have been identified as a key factor in tile education of people to an Pre-service environmental education awareness of the environment and its problems. The opportunity to Integrate environmental Cog iizance also exists of tile inadequacy of education Into the curriculum of the teacher existing teacher training programmes for tile training collegescame in 1987, when the pro teaching of en'ironrnental education. It was in gram of studies was being changed from a two response to that need, that tile UNI'SCO-LJNI-l year certificate program to a three year diploma International Environmental E-ducation Pro- program. Subject committees were appointed to gramme, from 1983-1985, produced some draft the new syllabuses, and they agreed to materials for pre-service arid in-service teacher integrate environmental education into the education as part of its environmental education various subjects instead of having a separate series. course. Efforts were made in this direction, and My experience with environmental educatiea elements of environmental topics can be found in various countries is that usually, the move in the syllabuses. towards environmental education begins with Three years into the program, we can now tile development of curriculum materials for the assess the approach which was used, and Iden primary and secondary levels. Unfortunately, tify strengths and weaknesses. We are now in a when those materials are included in tile text- position to make some recommendations which books arid curriculum, teachers often have great we hope to use In a revised program, and which difficulty in using them. Teacher-training pro- can perhaps also be of use to others, like you in grams have not generally in-luded envionm':n- Botswana, who are getting your programs off the tal education, and teachers lack the concopts, ground. skills arid attitudes which they are then expected Some recommendations are as follows: to know and to teach. What i:; even worse, is that teachers are often poor models for environ- Time needs to be spent on systematic and mentally appropriate belcvicur. It is accepted holistic planning to determine the desired that behaviour is an overt expression of the outcomes (in terms of knowledge, skills and individual's knowledge, attitude and v7'ues, arid attitudes) across the whole program of studies if environmental education has been missing not just under individual subjects. There from the teacher's training, it is demonstrated needs to be a clear, collective vision and first of all by his/her behaviour, understanding of the goals of tile environ- Teacher behaviours do have an impact on mental education pre-service program. student classroom behaviours (Penick and The objectives of the environmental educa- Shymansky). infact, it is accepted that teacher tion component in each course must be influence extends beyond tile classroom. In clearly spelled out and stated separately activities aiming for changed student behav- under the major course objectives. This is to iours, it is therefore implicit that teachers be tile ensure that the environmental component is models of the desired behaviour by action and given importance and Included In tire exami by word. Teacher education and training can be nations. a means of developing these desired behaviours. 9 Teacher educators must be given intensive in- In Zimbabwe and in Swaziland, the integra- service training in environmental education tion of environmental education began with the in order to ensure that they are able to teach school programs. In Zimbabwe, environmental the new materials. education at teacher trainirg colleges was 9 Teacher educators need training in using rapidly Implemented. In Swaziland, the Initial Interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary environmental education training came through approaches commonly used In environmen

93 ANational Planning Conference tal education. Only then will they be in a position to help student teachers learn to integrate math, science, language and arts teachertch ducation/curriculumChief Inspector development concepts and skills for environmental educa tion projects anr activities. I " Because of the complex and unique nature of Pre-service Curiculum Inservice environmental education, and tile great "TCs development INSET demand it makes on teacher educators, who I NCC II generally have not had environmental educa- Principal Director Director tlon themselves, consideration should be given to developing a separate environmental education course which will emphasize methodology, in addition to tile Integration of environmental education into the various INSET's role in environmental education subjects of the pre-service teacher education program of studies. AAs materialsaeil Integratingnertn environmentalniomna The environmental education pre-service education topics were produced, there p ' nvirom ntohl ecationrsre-ervice was a need to help teachers teach these topics. h1us, program needs to help teachers interact In-service training for those activities was in specific community/s iyhooldevelopment cluded in the existing national in-service pro activities and/or projects should be required gramme for primary school teachers. (The main ofsudtacts and/orprojs ahou bheirtrainird goal of that programme was to help teachers of student teachers as part of th ng. cope with the new curriculum materials.) In-service environmental education and The in-service programme depends on a training In-Service cadre of teachers Education and Training Unit (INSET) (ITS) who have beencalled trained Local In-Serviceto carryout Teachers work- Initially, tile In-Service Unit at William shops and other in-service activities for tile nitilher wasstuitIn-erve traintheWi a teachers in their own school and those of a sister Pitcher College was set up to train the unquali- school. Periodically, special presentations on fled primary school teachers. However, in the evrnetleuaintpcmtos n past eight years, its functions have become environmental education topics, methods,and much broader, and they are still expanding. For issues are given to them, and they, in turn, nearly six years, Initially as part of the Ohio present those at school-based workshops. A University Teacher l-ducation Project, it has i-srcelturshmeveneddoeconstraint that was soon obvious was that the been carrying out a national in-service pro- i l gramme for all primary school teachers. It also training inenvironmental education. iiey were has the responsibility for infusion of the Na- often forced to seek resource people (from NEEP or extension services) to help teach some of the tihoalsCru entrsclsel wCmtilsh inte. materials. Thus, several efforts have been made schools. The Unit works closely with the lnspec- to help train the in-service lecturers torate, Teacher Leaders, and Peace Corps volun- metlduain in environ teers in operating the four regional Teachers' mental education. Centres (TIl)Cs) and with Advisory Committees Once a term, a special in-service activity is and held, usually at one of the game reserves. These Regional Education Officers planning and have been greatly enjoyed and have resulted in implementing continuous in-service activities at inci eased Interest in the environment on the these Centres, thus promnoting in-service on a regional basis. The Unit coordinates in-service part of the lecturers. In addition, environmental education has actiitis secn(Ir~'andatpriary eacer- Annual E-ducationbecome Staff a I)evelopmentpart of the one-week Confer training levels. INSET mounts special courses, as ence which is attended by all lecturers from the required. For example, in connection with the eachs olee nsp ecturrulum e new Educationnew P'rojectProect(EdcatinalPolcy, ductio (E-ducational l'olicy, teachers colleges, Inspectors, curriculum design Managei.,ent, and Technology), it is now re- tiongandeFacultnofTEdhcation)lcturersers, heads of sections of the Ministry of fromrthE-duca- sponsible for carrying out an Intensive 120 hour tion, aid Faculty of ducation lecturers from the management course for all primary arid second- University. A special workshop on environmen ary school head teachers, and for the in-service tal education Is now also being planned annu training of all teachers in the use of tests for ally for teacher educators. continuous assessment arid tile use of Efforts are also being made to remedation materials. ahe structure of INSI- educators, In-service lecturers, curriculuminvite teacher de which now exists Isshown above signers and Inspectors to participate actively in A diagram to demonstrate the multiplier non-formal environmental education activities, Adigraemostraeto te mutipier such as the Clean and Beautiful Swaziland effect system which INSFT uses to reach primary Campaign. By Interacting closely with the teachers In all schools is found later in the text. Environmental Education 94 Diagram of multiplier effect which INSET uses to reach primary school teachers in all scholols.

National Level NcC community, the educators are often motivated to do more in the formal programmes so as to effect change. These relative!y modest efforts in environ mental education in pre- and in-service teacher education are beginning to show some good or results. Much more, however, still needs to be done. District Level O Wit,.ic ln,.,,ime E,,caon References (4Districts) Specialists

Penick, John ;-.Shymansky, James A. 1977. The Teaer -ffectsof Teacher Behaviour on Student Behaviour in Fifth Grade: A Replication Study. Journal of Research in Science Teach ing (New York), Vol. 14, No. S pp.427-32. Unesco-UNEP1 International Enrvironmental Education Programme. 1983. environmental education: Module for In-Service 6raining of Science Teachers and Supervisors for Second ary Schools. environmental education Series Local Levcl I-I 8. Unesco l)ivision of Sclecc, Technical and 20 tschoos M Fnvironmental Education. 20 s ,tWachools

95 ANational Planning Conference Implications for implementation of environmental education in primary schools in light of experiences with MOE initiatives (in-service and pre-service) LP Kopong In-service Leader Teacher Education

The implementation of environmental stage of change always touches on the next one. education in schools if accepted will be calling Experiences with the above programmes has for change of various aspects that we cannot taught us that we need to consider the implica Ignore. For example it will be calling for: tions carefully before we implement would like to refer to few examples relating to some Minis Change in the way teachers should approach try of Education initiatives the curriculum. Breakthrough to Setswana literacy pro " Change In the way time tables should be gramme to teach the Breakthrough method.This arrange to Include another aspect of the programme started in 1983 after it was discov curriculum. ered that literacy in Setswana in our primary * Change relating to teacher's attitude, schools was poor. The programme was piloted * Change In the way teachers are prepared for three years (1983-1985). The method was during their initial training, accepted as a policy to be used in all primary Change in the way decision makers, espe- schools in Botswana in 1986. At the time this dally heads of department In the Ministry 9f method was adopted countrywide, there was a Education, communicate regarding this lot of excitement. Schools were excited to see aspect of the Curriculum, (Government the children learning the language faster with commitment) less problems, parents were excited to see their * Change in the way we assess children/stu- children writing properly, speaking fluently and dents In order to make sure that proper reading fluently before the end of their stand learning of concepts and skil!s happen effec- ard 1 year. Officers and other educationists were tively without the examination system being also excited to see results of the method. This an obstacle. change in approach touched on a number of " Change in the way other thim'gs that I have issues that revealed ,he implications which were not mentioned above, never envisaged at the tine the implementation of this method was adopted. Examples of such The implications as will be mentioned later implications were as fo!lows: will be based on the experiences this depart ment (Pre-services and In-service) has had with 0 Intensive training of standard I teachers other Ministry of Education initiatives relating before they would be expected to Implement to effective approach to curriculum. Some of the method. the Initiatives are: * Full monitoring proccss on the Implementa tion of the method. * Breakthrough to Scuswana l.iteracy * The training of trainers on the use of the B Botswana Teach!rig Competency Instru- method. merits, * Material production with proper relevance to * Continuous Assessment the use of the method. * Guidance and Counsell!ng * Training in the classroom management * Special Education including some modifications In classrooms * Project Method Infrastructure to accommodate the effective • Components of good teaching use of the method. * Self-study ccncept. Transport for those monitoring the Imple nivotation process to get to schools regularly The implementation of the above mentioned and make sure that the teachers are given the programmes had very serious Implications relevant support. which unfortunately were never thought of "Ilhe modification of the pre-service currlcu seriously. As some educational philosophers put lum to make sure that the colleges produce It "change Is knock on effect". That Is the first teachers with proper knowledge and skills of Environmental Educalion 96 using the method. although I did not mention them all, I would * Thorough training of supervisors who were to like to highlight the implications that we should help in monitoring the Implementation examine carefully If environmental education (primary and In-services education officers). has to be implemented in schools in a more * Government commitment through Ministry formal way. of Education departments that have direct responsibility for proper primary education * Plans to integrate the concept into the other foundation. areas of the formal curriculum. e Thorough training of the practitioners (teach What next? ers) through a team of trained trainers to be How would the enthusiasm and high motiva- able to handle Integration with relevant 2nd tion of the Breakthrough children be sustained simple materials that can be understood by through primary school education? The result an average teacher In Botswana pre-service for the project method. I think It is form impli- training. cations such as ones regarding the Implementa- * Extensive in-service of workshops for both tion of a curriculum approach that Department pre-service and in-service personnel (adminis of Teacher Education. Pre-service and in-service trators and teachers) has learned a lot and that such experiences * Full time responsibility assigned some teach should be used to prepare for the implementa- ers and officers for getting the implementa tion of other curriculum inrovations that come tion properly started with some effective as a result of changes in education, especially monitoring and evaluation. curriculum changes. Environmental education * Enough financial support for workshops to be as far as we are concerned is there in our Primary conducted throughout the country and Curriculum. The only snag about its teaching is regular follow-ups to make the whole thing that it is left to chance and as a result nobody meaningful. would confidently say that our teachers are e High involvement of teachers and members aware that they are teaching the concept. As I of the community with less Involvement of already !ndicated change is exciting because we experts which always bring very complex always hope that is for the best and we all love ideas which overwhelm people. change. But it is the handling of it that e Creation of formal linkages between all matters. In the light of the experiences expressed Ministries Involved to avoid duplication and relating to the Ministry of Education initiatives, confliction ideas.

97 ANational Planning Conference Some environmental education experiences ineastern, central and southern Africa Richard Lumbe Community Relations Officer,Information and PublicAffairs, UNEP

Introduction tance of the park, it flora and fauna. During the The past two decades or so have seen an first year a survey was carried out to ascertain emergence of various environmental education the attitudes of the local people. The finding: programmes In the region. This paper looks at local view is that the national park was wasted mostly the environmental education pro- land- that the land, wood and animals should grammes conducted informally but in an organ- be exploited. (This is a common attitude of ized manner. Most of the programmes are people surrounding parks in most countries in school-based, youtm-oriented. Acommon char- the region). As a result of the survey four target acteristic among the more prominent and truly groups were identified: villagers around the national ones are that they lean towards wildlife park boundaries, primary and secondary stu conservation, having been established primarily dents, administrative personnel (local govern to counter the escalating poaching threats of the ment), and parks officers. 60s, 70s and 80s. These wildlife clubs have Projects were Initiated under the programme gradually evolved over the years into broadbased to give weight to the awareness campaign by environmental clubs. This transition has in addressing specific community needs that have some cases not been very easy. In almost all a bearing on the people-parks relationship. cases they were as a result of some foreign Lack of wood for energy and construction in intervention, and never a truly grassroot re- the area drove the people to harvest illegally sponse. Besides, most of them were for many from the park in response to the demands from years under patronage of conservation NGO's Goma (population 100 000). Small-scale affores e.g. Wildlife Clubs of Kenya under the then tation projects were established cutside the park African Wildlife Leadership Foundation now in 1987 and so far hundreds of thousands of African Wildlife Foundation, Chongo!olo Clubs trees have been planted. under the Wildlife Conservation Society of The viability and initial modest success of the Zambia. The Wildlife Clubs of Uganda, the project has drawn some environmental Conservation Clubs of Zambia and the Malihal cducation funding which has assisted in expand Clubs of Tanzania, seen by some as the exten- ing the project area, research and extension, and sion of the groundswell of anti-poaching senti- training. About 25 species of trees-both indig ments among the young people, were sponsored enous and exotic are used. There have been by traditional pro-wildlife donors such as World mixed responses to the project-the community Wide Fund for Nature, New York Zoological in the immediate environs of the park are less Society, Wildlife Conscrvation International and inclined to plant trees since these are in abun others. The conservation education tide swelled dance across into the park. They also fear that outward from Kenya in 1968 and school-based the tree-planting projects are a ploy to extend club systems now operate in Botswana, Zambia, park boundaries and push them out. Those Malawi, Tanzania, South Sudan and Uganda. further away see and feel the need of afforesta The following are profiles of some of the pro- tion as an income-generating activity. The grammes. education programme centres around a chil dren's magazine, Kacheche (published In Zaire French) in the mould of Pied Crow and Action. The Virunga Education Programme was The first issue was published in October 1989. started in February 1987 as an integral part of Kacheche is also used by the Rwanda Mountain the Zaire Gorilla Project initiated in 1984. The Gorilla Project. Because of similarities in com programme aims to protect the gorillas and their munities, language, habitats, fauna and flora, habitat (Virunga National Park) by raising sharing of educational materials is without awareness among the people surrounding the problems. park on the ecological and economic impor-

Environmental Education 98 Uganda African Wildlife Management at Mweka has According to Ugandan authorities, there is a since its establishment in 1963 trained over 1 dire and urgent need for a "concerted and 000 graduates from Africa in wildlife manage coordinated effort" to disseminate general ment. These graduates now fill key conservation environmental information to the public, positions throughout the continent. This is being done presently through the efforts of some NGOs (Wildlife Clubs of Uganda, Zambia Church of Uganda), and UNICEF publishes Non-formal conservation education In Zam booklets with environmental information. bia has its origins in the Wildlife Conservation Government effoits are through the Forestry Society of Zambia which started a primary Depaitment with its three mobile film vans and school project-Chongololo Clubs-in the early half-hour radio programmes. 1970s. Asecondary project-Conservation Ugandan Government officials and NGOs say Clubs-was started late 1970s to complement there is no lack of public enthusiam and recep- Chongololo. Both club systems are modelled in tivity. A UNEP report observes three main the wildlife club mould. Of particular interest in difficulties: lack of funds; lack of coordination the Zambian situation is a radio environmental and systematic approach to a public awareness club which staTted off as a 10-minute inset strategy; and a lack of training for local journal- entitled Show Do in Bata Spotlight, a popular ists and communication experts. Sunday morning musical programme sponsored The Wildlife Clubs of Uganda can be said to by the Zambia Bata Shoe Company Ltd. On 21 be the largeK environment.il youth groups in December 1980, conservation became the main the country, although very small compared to focus of the whole programme, and It was re similar groups in East Africa. The clubs have named the Chongololo Club of the Air (CCOA). lumbered along during decades of unrest and The 30-minute programmes are broadcast every civil strife, and their existence restricted to Sunday in English and every Thursday In relatively safe areas such as urban centres. They Chibemba. have suffered from the lack of international The programmes Incorporate a variety of financial support 'is a result of donor-detach- short presentations; Mr. Chongololo (the main ment from Uganda. Now that normalcy seems character) talking to animals, birds and trees, the to be prevailing and that Uganda is well on its presenters in dialogue, or interviewing people in way to reclaiming its place in the International the field, and songs illustrating aspects of na fraternity, the clubs may well benefit from the ture. Programmes focus on habitats and er:viron revival of aid, bilateral and multilateral pro- ments, bird migration, pollution, fish conserva grammes in Uganda. tion, animal poaching and wildlife manage Another group isthe community-based Joint ment. Listeners are invited to write in and join Energy and Environmental Project (JEEP) which the club. They receive a membership card and in 1985 started a model village to promote self- conservation pamphlet. The national office of sufficiency in food and fuelwood. JEEP has since the Wildlife Conservation Society of Zambia then championed tree-planting and administers the club, keeping register of all desertification control through public awareness members. campaigns. Asurvey conducted in 1990 among 1000 members (75% response) shows average age of Tanzania listeners is 17 years. Fourty seven per cent of the The Malihal Clubs of Tanzania began as a respondents own their own radio, and 52,4 per project of the African Wildlife Foundation. The cent listen with two to five other people. Fourty lack or scarcity of funding has restricted growth eight per cent listen to the programme every of the programme to very modest level. How- week with up 59% among those who own their ever, interaction at programme manager level own radios. The general comment was an over with Wildlife Clubs of Kenya and Wildlife Clubs whelming thanks to the Society and the pro of Uganda, through regional workshops, has gramme sponsor. The educational content was been a tremendous inspiration and encourage- highly appreciated and the Society's efforts to ment to Mallhat leadership. Malihai's pro- spread conservation awareness was acknowl gramme isstandard wildlife club fare- edged as a very important and worthwhile schoolbased, conservation-centred and made objective. Given the importance of radio as a attractive by field trips, mobile film units, means of mass communications in developing workshops, tree-planting and so forth. Whereas countries these findings are 5;gnificant. primary and secondary level of environmental education may not be that impressive. Tanzania Malawi has excelled at tertiary level in one discipline- The Wildlife Society of Malawi runs a conser training of wildlife managers. The College of vation education programme for youth. It 99 A National Planning Conference publishes a magazine, Natchwenga, five times a Health topics were added to the environmen year. It is likely this programme is similar to tal ones at this time since the long range goal those of other wildlife societies in the region, was to help improve school curricula and these are the two key science-related The Outreach network topics. If maths problems are added and the iraterial is written Outreach is a unique coalition of local, within the local context to be read national by the stu and international organizations work- dents, then science and mathF, ing to disseminate language, arts information on environmen- and social studies are all covered--a complete tal and health issues. Outreach grew out of the curriculum in illustrated magazine format that realisation that information about the environ- children love to read. ment and its deterioration, and about personal When the Outreach programme officially health is not reaching many of the people who began in 1985, Ms Gillian Dorfman of WWF most need it. The idea evolved in 1982 when began to gather information on single topics New York Zoological Society commissioned Dr that could be used in developing countries for James Connor, professor of science education at print media and railo. So far over 70 packets of New York University, to write a "relevant" approximately 30 pages each have been pro textbook for East African secondary schools duced. Each contains copyright-free information which would address some of their most press- from a large variety of international sources, to ing conservation problems. Researching the be adopted, adapted or added to for local use. To possibilities of such a textbook revealed its encourage reproduction and redistribution of impracticality. Most students drop out before individual pages, the material is produced on they reach secondary level. The secondary ordinary office paper in black and white. Some science curriculum, already well established, material is especially written for immediate use would be difficult to change and there seemed in the classroom. Co-ordinating offices have to be no room in this curriculum for a separate been set up in London and Nairobi to assist focus on conservation. in Thirdly, most teachers the reproduction and distribution of the are not trained to teach conservation issues. Otreach Infopacs. In search for the answer to this question, Dr The first magazine was printed in Kenya in Connor happened upon a special news stand 1983 as a supplement to Rainbow, and then edition of Rainbow. The editor, Ms Ng'weno had became independent a year later as been producing Pied Crow. It this colourful children's maga- is still produced and funded by CARE-Kenya zine silce 1976. But the issue that caught Dr with the co-operation of the Ministries of Educa Connor's interest was the annual "World Envi- tion and Environment. Each issue ronment Day Special". of Pied Crow With Canadian support Is 16 pages long, and consists of lively articles, this issue was given free to all Kenyan schools, cartoons and illustrations by local artists, and When asked if this couid be done more activities which teachers can use In or out of the regularly, Ms Ng'weno said she would need classroom. Two hundred thousand copies of more information on environmental topics and each issue are published. adequate funding for free distribution.. Over the years Pied Crow has covered a Dr Connor agreed tosupply the necessary myriad of issues including natural resources; Information and CARE-Kenya agreed to support population; health; practical skills; agriculture a magazine for three years with 50 000 copies and employment. Some issues of the magazine sent sixtimes each year free-of-charge to all the have been used in national education efforts, primary schools in Kenya. By 1984, with solid citing, for example the importance of childhood funding for the magazine and possibilities of immunization as part of the Kenya Expanded other projects with similar needs in other coun- Programme for Immunization (KEPI). One tries, Mr Ivan Hattingh, Head of Development at million copies of a special issue on AIDS were WWF-UnIted Kingdom and Chairman of Televi- produced to help in a national AIDS awareness sion Trust for the Environment (TVE), joined Di campaign. Many t:opies of Pied Crow have been Connor in persuading UNEP to support the sentto schools in Uganda and Tanzania issues of development of the Outreach programme. The Pied crow have been translated and distributed main objectives would be as part of a sanitation education campaign. Inspired by the success of the East African " to encourage many developing countries to project, a similar children's magazine was started start their own magazines to supplement the in Indonesia in 1984 by the Ministry of the elementary school curriculum, Environment and the Green Movement with • to provide the publishers with relevant additional funding from CARE. In 1985, a information on environment and health children's magazine started in Thailand with topics, and funding from USAID, CARE and the Ministry of " to help them find adequate funding. Education. In Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Environmental Education 100 Action Magazine began with funding from the e materials development and Carnegie Foundation, Norway and Sweden. Out- & teacher training. reach assisted children's magazines are now being produced in Africa in Kenya, Botswana, Rather than try to find the huge sums of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria and Cameroon, and money usually considereJ necessary for such In Asia In Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan undertakings, Outreach attempts to be very cost and Thailand. Soon children's magazines will be effective in achieving these ends by means of produced in the Sahel and the Phillipines. In the children's magazines. Most of the magazines Latin America, there are prospects for children's have been targeted at primary classes where the magazines in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Costa science curriculum is more flexible, and have Rica, Ecuador, Guatamala, Mexico and Peru. been a very welcome addition in elementary UNEP is currently proposing a children's maga- classrooms where any kind of teaching material zine which is targeted to reach all the Carrib- is scarce. To make an impact on the curriculum, bean within eight years. Each magazine is done the Ministry of Education In each country Is for a country or region by local writers and contacted and the syllabus of he schools is artists focusing on local health and environmen- studied for topics on health and the environ tal problems. Magazines are currently being pub- ment that could be augmented by supplemen lished in eight languages. tary information and activities. The Ministry is The Outreach audience has now broadened also asked to aid, if possible, in the distribution to include mewspaper, offices and radio stations, of the free magazines to the schools and to have schools and teacher training institutes, exten- inspectors ask questions about the magazine's sion workers and community developers. In use when they make their regular Inspections. almost every country of the developing world the Ministries of Education have three impor tant needs: * curriculum development,

101 A National Planning Conference Experiences with environmental education in Zambia Mr Sichilongo

While discussing fundralsing for conservation friendly behaviour. This education, ultimately isthe goal of a newspaper column read, "unlike environmental education. other conservation activities, environmental This paper education dwells mainly on this programme, has no visible end product" The same promoting environmental column later awareness through asked, "will the children and youth providing educational materials of today not simply and experi grow into the same struc- ences. The paper outlines the current tures causing massive destruction status and to natural closes with some thought for the future. resources, without regard to long term implica tions?" In an attempt to respond to the above Summary statement and question, the same column said, Chongololo and Conservation "the basis for any education Clubs of isinformation and Zambia isan environmental education awareness. What the informed pro individual does gramme for youths, under the Wildlife Conser with the knowledge issomething that cannot be vation Society dictated. of Zambia. It consists of a net It can be encouraged," continued the work of clubs In primary weekly conservation schools called Chongo column, "the more chil- lolo, which means millipede, and dren are encouraged to appreciate secondary nature, the school clubs referred to as Conservation Clubs. more inclined they become to respect it." The movement currently has about 1000 clubs Environmental education will not save forests all over Zambia. and Ateacher with interest in the rhinos and water catchement areas. It will environment facilitates create impressions, a club within a school. highlight the threats and Each school has an promote the advantages average of 30 members of conservation. The between the ages of 10 and 20 approach ought (iefor both the to take into account the prevail- Chongololo and the Conservation Ing needs and priorities, Clubs). thereby seeking to The movement Isbased on two identify specific areas of action, environmen in the best tal science publications produced by the Wildlife possible manner. Community based projects Conservation Society of Zambia, namely Chon addressing a particular problem, suggesting gololo Magazine alternatives for Chongololo Clubs and and turning out sustainable benefits Chipembele Magazine within a for Conservation Clubs. relatively short period of time, are one Even though the movement form of environmental was started by a education. Wildlife Society, the approach The World Wide Isa broad one Fund for Nature (WWF), Is with wildlife providing the Initial currently supporting a programme focal point. known as the The presence or absence of wildlife may be used Zambian Environmental Education Programme as a measure (ZEEP). of how much alteration has been The long term alms of ZEEP are to caused to the environment promote by human activities. environmental education across Another way in society, which wildlife provides a focal as recommended in the National Con- point to the CCCZ servation Strategy. movement is that during the Four ministries (Natural rainy season, there are hundreds resources, Tourism, Higher and hundreds Education and of millipedes in the environment. The General Education) are move involved. ZEEP will be ment is named after this small animal Involved in setting up environmental to dem education onstrate that It is not only big animals in na centres, organising environmental teacher tional parks training, which matter, but small ones as well distribution of educational materials like millipedes and chameleons and dissemination which are all of environmental Informa- around us. The objective tion, in collaboration is to build a foundation with existing programmes. of young people who are The Chongololo aware of nature's and Conservation Clubs interrelationships, how all this movement run by the Wildlife takes place in Conservation natural surroundings and how these relation Society of Zambia, isone such programme. It is ships are valuable to us. Observation of crucial for the nature is survival of the earth that present encouraged through out. and future generations adopt more environment To ensure as broad based an approach as Environmental Education 102 possible, we co-operate with relevant govern- and simple facts about the changing seasons ment departments and organisations. For in- with nothing that needed constant updating. stance, all educational materials receive approval Two issues per school term completed a revolv from the Curriculum Development Centre in ing set of eighteen magazines after three years. the Education Ministry. We have had dealings In this way, each magazine reappears in the with the Forestry Department, National Parks same format but reaches a completely different and Wildlife Service, Agricultural Department, set of members. The advantage Is that reproduc Natural Resources Department, Food and Agri- tion is simpler, costs are kept low, and the cultural Organisation. undertaking is sustained to supply extra materi Chongololo magazine is designed for the last als to schools all over Zambia. three upper grades of primary school while Chipembele is targeted at the first two junior Chipembele magazine secondary school grades. These magazines are This magazine is a development from the distributed free to schools under the auspices of Chongololo Magazine, aimed at the first two the Inspectorate in the Ministry of General grades In junior secondary school (Grades 8 and Education, Youth and Sport. Both Chongololo 9). It is designed in conformity with the junior and Chipembele Magazines are meant for the secondary school environmental science sylla club member. Teachers receive a more detailed bus. It Is also produced in the same simple guide and a newsletter. The newsletter is in- format as Chongololo Magazine but with a tended to enhance communication with the shorter twelve issue cycle. Each issue is dedicated teacher. to one paeticular aspect of forest, wildlife and Further to the above, a weekly conservation wetland topics. 25 copies of each issue of the radio programme is broadcast in English and magazine and 5 copies of a Teachers' Guide are one local language. The Chongololo Club of the sent to each registered school Conservation Air (CCOA) radio programme is based on mate- Club. rial from the Chongololo Magazine. The CCOA therefore, serves as a popular version of the Teachers' guides Chongololo Magazine with the main character Each issue of both Chongololo and Chipem being a Mr. Chongololo talking to and about bele magazines is accompanied by a teachers' nature. guide. The guide has more detailed Information, Branches of the Wildlife Conservation Soci- expanding on the topics dealt with in the maga ety have Education Officers who help maintain zine, and suggesting ways of tackling them. contact with the schools. Many Club Leaders' Associations or Teachers' Action Groups were Index formed in almost all the major centres during An Index and special file covers have been the good years, when a field education unit compiled for the Chongololo magazine. The file went around holding training courses for teach- is meant to keep the magazines such that after ers all over the country at District and Regional the cycle has been completed, a useful reference levels. Four still survive today. document about the environment and Zambia, emerges. Chongololo magazine A similar index is being developed for the on In the m!d 1970's Chongololo Magazine was going Chipembele magazine. started as an insert in the Wildlife Conservation Society of Zambia's official journal 'Black Newsletters Lechwe'. This led to the formation of the first Reproducing magazines in the way outlined Chongololo Clubs in schools. With this develop- above has limitations, particularly to the teacher ment, the Chongololo Magazine started to be who receives magazines whose contents are produced as a separate publication to service the already known. As a way of avoiding this, newly formed clubs. Clubs were formed with the duplicated newsletters are compiled and distrib consent of the Education Ministry. uted with the magazines. These newsletters carry From the early inserts In the Society's journal, club activity reports, letters, competitions, news a three year series was produced, designed and extra Ideas for club projects. Interesting according to the seasons of the year. This maga- reports are expanded for the benefit of the zine Is targeted at the last three grades in upper originators as well as other clubs. The newslet primary school. (Grades 5,6 and 7). The eight ters provide a more up to date means of commu page magazine compiete with what to look out nication with the clubleaders. Clubs are encour for, how and when, how to identify natural aged to maintain contact with other clubs and characteristics, also Include puzzles, things to relevant conservation oriented organisations colour and word games. The pages are full of fun including Government Departments.

103 A National Planning Conference Teacher training colleges programme for nearly twenty years Isprobably As a result of a schools' essay competition by the biggest achievement. the Zambian Ornithological Society to promote The question of sustainability was responsible the Image of owls, school children were asked to for the discontinuation submit of a field education drawings and stories they know about programme which visited owls. These district and provincial stories have been edited and com- centres holding training programmes. piled Into a school reader Not only which has beeen did such an undertaking provide a crucial mo circulated to a cross-section of schools and rale booster, it colleges also enhanced skills In communl for trial and evaluation. cating conservation among There teachers. However, It are Chongololo and Conservation took three years to cover Clubs in some the whole country, teacher training colleges which that is, three years before a centre are already receiving educational could be materials for visited for a second time. So given the limited the Chongololo programme. On the assumption financial resource, that teachers the field education pro are more likely to use materials gramme was stopped. In which they anticipation of this, have been exposed to in training, Teachers' Action Groups were class sets of any educational formed in every materials which are centre where a training course was held. To date, developed will be sent to colleges for in-service all but four of the Teachers' Action Groups have training purposes folded up. Other materials In the face of the above developments, an important consideration for the future is to As part of the education programme, extra investigate possibilities materials are of locating support to being developed as and when create more self sufficient Environmental feasible. Some are a result Teach of competitions, ers' Action Groups. Such groups are vey instru others are to commemorate particular events mental In and still organising activities to keep the others are to promote a particular interest of teachers in environmental aspects of the environment conserva such as trees, or the tion activities. Another important activity Illegal exploitation of wildlife, that could be enhanced by a well supported action When these are produced, they are distrib- group is to maintain contact with natural re uted together with Chongololo Magazines. Such source based materials organisations and government include posters, environmental games departments. This group is and project ideas. best organised and composed within the existing structure of the Prospects for the future Education ministry. After all, Chongololo and Conservation Clubs are officially recognised as The present situation is characterised by low extra curricula activities. levels of funding, And, since its inception increased printing and other in 1978, the Chongololo and Conservation running costs against the need to provide mate- Clubs movement, rials in conjuction with the Educa generally in short supply. This has led to a tion ministry, has produced reduced a mass of citizens frequency in producing materials and with an awareness of conservation. sometimes to a standstill while funds are being As is envisaged in the long term aims of the searched for. However, the revolving nature of Zambian Environmental the Education Programme, main publications make reprinting costs continuation of this minimal. work is of extreme impor The sustainability of the existing tance to the future of the country.

Environmental Education 104 An overview of the status of environmental education in current curricula and examinations in secondary education SMakgothi, FStoneham, PRichard and C Mathare MinistryofEducation

The aim of this paper is to show that while changes over the years. The syllabus has moved there is no Independent programme on environ- from learning about Bismark In the 1970's to mental education in the secondary school learning the history of southern Africa in the curriculum, there is a fair amount of material on current syllabus. The same Is true of Geography. environmental issues integrated Into the con- The present syllabus moved from one that tent of the various subject areas. taught Industrial Development In the USA and Current curriculum intentions on eviron- Europe, etc., to one that shows concern for mental education are imbued in the aims of the issues around the pupil's own environment. Nine Year Basic Education Programme which Both subjects are still controlled from outside so states that students should "show an awareness it is difficult to Influence the content in the of the forces and events that created the envi- subject. There are some topics that touch on ronment around t~iem, in Africa and the aspects of the environment, and these include: world," and "describe and appreciate Botswana's environment, society and development and • The development of land for agriculture their inter-relationships." clearing and preparation, methods of irriga This presentation will therefore outline areas tion, problems associated with developing of content in various subjects both at junior and land for agriculture, soil erosion and conser senior secondary school level which cover vation. material on the environment. * The interpretation of topographical maps • Land forms Social sciences * Weathering Junior school-Social Studies * Weather study Social Studies has elements of environmental ° Climates and natural vegetation education in its syllabus. One of the subject ' Agricultural systems aims in Social Studies is that when pupils finish ° Mining the nine years of basic education they should ° Forests and forestry "describe and appreciate Botswana's environ- * Fishing ment, society and development and their inter- * Power production relationships." This aim is further broken into ° Processing and manufacturing Industries learning themes from standard 1 to standard 9. * Tourism The concept of the "environment" starts with the immediate "home" in standard land goes Sciences on to the "world at large" in standard 9. The junior school-lntegrated Science spiralling nature of the syllabus means that the An attempt has been made at the junior concept recurs throughout the standards. Some secondary level to implement the Integrated way Instructional objectives range from "describe of teaching Science. This approach has made it ways in which plants are protected against possible to bring different sdentific disciplines human abuse for example, veld-fires, theft and together with the aim of improving the learner's deforestation" at lower standards, to "identify basic understanding of sdentific phenomena the major environmental problems facing and the environment. Botswana" or "describe strategies which are The following is a list of topics in the being used to improve or correct environmental lntergrated Science syllabus which are seen to be problems in Botswana for example, laws, regula- part of the environmental education content. tions and programmes at higher standards. * Reproduction, Plant Reproduction, Human Senior school-History and Geography Reproduction, Population Edijcation While the 0' Level syllabus remains control- ° Water-sources of water,water storage and led from outside the country, it has seen a lot of conservation, water purification

105 ANational Planning Conference * Gases of the Atmosphere * Energy, Forms of Energy, Sources of Energy, o General Agriculture-Environmental Influ Energy Conservation, Alternate Forms of ences Energy Importance of Agriculture General Principals of Land Use Forestry Natural * Nutrition and Diseases Agricultural * Programmes Natural Resources, The Earth's Resources, a Crop Husbandry Fossil Fuels, and Use of Natural Resources * Livestock Husbandry * Environmental Awareness, Interdependence • Farm Structures and Machinery of Living Things, Pollution, conservation of e Agricultural Economics Natural Resources, Vegetation,Wild Soil and Animals, Recycling of Materials. Design and Technology and Home Sciences--Senior school Economics While it was not possible to make an in Biological Sciences depth analysis of the content of these two subjects for the purpose of o Organisation identifying content and Maintenance of the Indi- relating to environmental vidual issues, we are aware that they do contain * Diversity of Organisms such content. Design and Technology stresses problem * Relationships of organisms with each other solving and the use of appropriate materials in and with the environment (including the effects design. of man on the ecosystem) Home Economics * Development of with its emphasis on the organisms and the continu- promotion of good nutrition ity of life and health in general also contains elements that link it with environmetal issues. Physical Sciences " Pollution, pollutants and their effects English Language-junior " Fuels School While the subject does not " The Atmosphere contain any aims and objectives directly • Major sources of engery linked to fostering environmental education, one of the aims " Radioactivity and nuclear waste disposal is that students should "enjoy reading a range of literature, not only fiction but also general Agriculture--junior School Agriculture-The interest works and material based on other Agriculture syllabus in the subj( ts of the curriculum." junior school also explores issues on the envi- It is in this regard that some environmental ronment. Environmental problems are addressed issues are explored. Isolated topics by the following objectives: relating to the environment are found in Reading Compre hension and in Supplementary " to Identify problems in Agriculture, Readers. Read investi- ing Comprehension passages range over topics gate the cause or causes of the problems as such as animals, fire, the Sea, water, oil, well as to come up with solutions drilling for them" for water in Botswana, generating electricity, " to understand the value of soil, how it is wildlife conservation and soil erosion. formed, methods of improving and conserv- In addition, there are Supplementary Ing it, and Readers its role in agriculture, on the the following: * Trees The Agriculture syllabus, therefore, does • Water address environmental conservation although it • Germs cannot do so fully because of the time element. • Bilharzia Students learn about: * Wild Life " Soil fertility • Soil Conservation " Importance of soil " Erosion and Its control English language-Senior " Crop Rotation school Reading coemprehension passages based on " Communal and ranching systems of rearing environmental cattle issues do occur in the course books used in the Senior School. These Include Agriculture-Senior School subjects such as food and nutrition, fishing, rubbish disposal, Insects and growing The Senior cotton to school covers the following areas mention but a few. on environment education:

Environmental Education 106 The status of environmental education in mental education, then questions testing those the examinations objectives will be included in the examination. Since Environmental Education is not treated as a separate subject in our junior and senior Conclusion secondary curriculum, there is no special provi- In conclusion, we contend that our curricu sion for it In the examinations. lum does cover an extensive amount of environ The examinations are designed to test appro- mental education. What is lacking is an empha priate knowledge and skills outlined In the sis on spedal Issues such as application of know different subject syllabuses. If the specific objec- ledge, practical work and developing a positive tives in a particular syllabus relate to environ- environmental awareness.

107 ANational Planning Conference Starting Points-a look at background knowledge approaches and attitudes towards environmental issues amongst secondary school teachers in Botswana D Marsland Field education officer (Science), Maun

Introduction * what previous knowledge It is intended that this and experience paper should act as an teachers have of environmental issues and introduction to further discussion of environ- education, mental education in the secondary curriculum a which issues of Botswana. are already taught (in some As such it is not to be treated as an form) and where and how indicator of the 'way they are taught, forward' in this arena. a what priority teachers place on environmen- Primarily its intention is to identify the current tal education, situation regarding teacher background, atti- • what direction environmental education tudes, in feelings and approaches towards environ- Botswana should take. mental issues and education. Before environ mental education can find direction it must first Questionnaire design know where its 'starting points' are. The questionnaire was divided into four main Procedure parts: General informationon In an attempt the school, the teacher's to ascertain these current main and secondary teaching subject, starting points teacher a limited questionnaire based nationality, qualification, training survey has been made of teachers institution in Botswana's and experience. No request was made for Secondary Schools. All replies were from schools teachers to identify in the Junior themselves to avoid the Secondary sector. Questionnaires feeling that this was a 'test were sent out to approximately situation'. 150 teachers in * Backgroundon the environment. This section 30 schools. Schools gazetted were nationwide was intended and represent to investigate teacher back a fair mix of rural, semi-rural and ground knowledge of environmental urban schools. Each set issues. of questionnaires was Questions involved matching given words accompanied by a letter to the headmaster with given statements explaining (for example, de the purpose of the exercise which creased genetic diversity/extinction was to help In or the planning of environmental increasing levels of carbon dioxide/global education. Astamped addressed envelope was warming.) Asecond set of questions gave also provided for the return of the completed statements on environmental issues and items. The headmaster was requested to hand requested true/false/unsure out the questionnaires replies,for exam to different members of pie, the Earth's resources are finite? his teaching staff. It was suggested that a head- * Which environmental topics are covered. master hand out copies to: Seven major environmental issues were included in * this section. Teachers were asked to tick a box a Science teacher according to whether * these were taught by a Social Studies teacher them in the course * an Agriculture of their work. teacher * What is done in environmental * two other remaining education. mlembers of staff from Teachers were asked whether they considered these or other subjects. the present curriculum contained enough 'environmental content'. Headmasters were If their answer was also asked to give prefer- no then they were requested to make ence to completion by sugges Batswana teachers as tions as to where and how content could these represent the most be permanent component enhanced. They were also asked what they of the country's teaching force, considered the Attached best approach to this topic is to each questionnaire was an ac- in terms of effective teaching, companying letter for example, explaining the purpose of the teacher presentation, in the environment. exercise to the teacher and the philosophy Teachers were behind asked whether they ever it. Four aims were given, namely to taught outside their ascertain: classroom, whether their school had any special facilities for such Environmental Education 108 teaching. They were also asked to give an agriculture and sodal studies teachers showed opinion on whether integration of enviion- the best command of these issues. The environ mental issues into the present curriculum or mental issues selected for the questionnaire were teaching as a separate subject was preferable. obtained from two sources; one with a global perspective and the other with a bias toward Results Botswana. Both were non-technical and are General Information typical of reading material within the capabili A total of 44 completed questionnaires were ties of all the sample. In the word matching returned from 21 different schools. Of those questions correct scores obtained are shown as returned the breakdown of teachers by first and percentages in Fig 1. second teaching subject was: Table 2: Topics tested by word-matching exercise. Subject 1st teaching 2nd teaching A. Extinction and genetic diversity subjed subject B. Irrigation and salination Agriculture 4 - C. Acid rain and sulphur dioxide pollution English 2 1 D. Global warming and carbon dioxide Design Technology 1 1 E. Harmful effects of ozone depletion Mathematics 6 6 F. Land degradation and desertification Scieace 21 7 G. Population and carrying capacity Religious Education 2 - H. Knowledge of the concept of Gala Setswana 1 2 1. Alternative energy resources Social Studies 7 6 J. Biological cycles (carbon-cycle dted)

Total 2nd subject 17 When incorrect/misplaced answers are analyzed it is apparent that a great deal of Teaching experience ranged from three confusion exists between issues. This confusion months to fifteen years with mean experience of is often compounded by popular reporting (and three years four months. Thirty-two of the may therefore indicate its source). For example teachers (72,7%) were Botswana nationals. Four answers for global warming, ozone depletion of these teachers were Cambridge leavers, the and acid rain were often mismatched. Six rest had their training within Botswana. Out of teachers obtained the correct responses to all the the total trained teachers nineteen had diplomas matching exercises. With an average correct and twenty-one had degrees (including two response of 56,4% there are significant gaps in Masters). teachers' knowledge of environmental issues. The true, false, unsure, section of the ques Background on the Environment tionnaire (Question topics shown in Table 3) There was a large variation in the back- showed up some further misconceptions and ground knowledge of teachers on environmental deficiencies in teacher knowledge. These re Issues. This variation showed no relationship to sponses are shown in Fig 2. Both incorrect level of teacher training qualification. Science, answers and unsure are given.

80 % Correct 80 * incorrect '2H Unsure . 6o- 60

E UU

40 - 0 o 40 U (D

Z 20 20

0 ..- "-0- -l- . A B C D E F G H I J m n 0 p q r Question topic Topic

Figure 1 Figure 2 Teacher matching word response questions (A-)) Incorrect/unsure responses for questions I-s 109 ANational Planning Conference Table 3: Topics tested in true/false/unsure response fled that they In fact taught aspects of the topic questions (1-s) in question (examples were given in the ques 1. World population growth tionnaire to help teachers with identification for m. Possibility of sustainable development example, population: growth, control, contra n. The finite nature of resources ception or natural cycles such as, carbon, nitro o. Concentration of toxins in food-chains gen and water). The teachers mentioned below p. Family size and environmental impact these represent those that did not identify with q. Developed countries as main culprits of the topic mentioned despite some content on environmental damage. their syllabi. r. Habitat destruction as an agent of extinction One would expect that recognition of these s. Biological complexity and ecological stability topics as environmental issues would be re quired by the teacher to enable the delivery of 56,8% felt that modern science was capable the requisite Information and, more impor of constructing accurate models as to how the tantly, attitudes to the students. Without clarity environment works. in the teacher's mind as to which environmental topics arc Included within the boundaries of his/ Which Environmental Topics are Covered her subject there Is little hope for clarity in the Although those developing the curriculum mind of the student. Those teachers who recog may have clear ideas as to those topics to be/ nised environmental content within their being covered by the teachers and their students coursework were mainly in agriculture, science this may not be so obvious as far as the teachers and social studies. However a few teachers from themselves are concerned. From the results it other areas of the curriculum also admitted appears that many teachers (Fig 3) do not recog- making contributions namely: population nize topics as being of 'environmental signifi- statistics In inathem,-tics, moral issues behind cance' or they are not teaching the topic at all. pollution and landuse In Religious Education. Agriculture, Science and Social Siudies were the Those extra-curricular activities cited as having subjects mainly involved in teaching these 'environmental content' were school trips, topics of which seven were specified. The per- wildlife clubs, science clubs and guidance and centage given after the topic title represents the counselling sessions. percentage of the sample of teachers who Identi-

LANDUSE 50% ENERGY 65.9% But not 47.6% of But not 43% soc. science teachers sudies and 14% of 50% agric. teachers science teachers! and 14% soc. studies!

Fig3eC or to i% eInvt e iON .r Thn t i es o acher s t

aothe 95crficate.

sirnme Educ0%butnation 11 of science teachers? scec teahes?

RESOURCE DEPLETION 79.6%

Not taught by 14% of science tachers and 14% of soc. sudies teachers!

Figure 3 Major topics in environmental education. The extent to which the sample of teachers taught them at junior certificate.

Environmental Education 110 What is done in environmental education? 25,5% of teachers considered their school As to the environmental content of the had spedal fadlities for teaching environmental present J.C. curriculum no teacher felt it was content. (in particular weather stations and over!oaded. 45,5% felt that the present content ponds). Only 4 teachers mentioned the use of was 'enough', 54,5% that it was insufficient, the environment outside the school grounds as Areas where content and activities could be an important teaching resource. Some schools extended were suggested by about one third of had facilities which were used by some teachers tile teachers. Use of the environment as a teach- but not others (within the same subject!). ing aid, use of local environmental statistics, emphasis on personal contributions to preserv- The implications of this survey Ing the environment were specifically men- Rather than attempt to reach conclusions tioned. The possibility of using environmental from this limited survey it would be more issues as discussion points and listening compre- appropriate to use it to highlight points for hension in lanpuage teaching were also sug- further discussion and possible research. The gested. Concern about tle lack of practical following points can be distilled from the above environmental work in tie present science results. syllabus and the cultural appropriateness of Teacher kn-wledge of basic environmental some of the materials used was also expressed. issues falls short of what Is required to teach Most teachers felt that a practical approach to these issues. This lack of knowledge will have to topics with some teaching in tile environment remedied. This should involve both pre-service being preferable to teacher presentation. How- and inservice implementatons. ever use of the environment 4s a teaching Teachers either do not recognise parts of their resource was only made by 52,3%* of the teach- syllabus as being significant environmental ers, despite their obvious knowledge in its use as content or omit these sections. The application a vehicle in improving environmental aware- of appropriate techniques to instil information ness. (*100% of agriculture teachers, 47,6% of and change student attitudes has, as a pre science teaches and 42,9% of social studies requisite, this recognition by the teacher. teachers.). 23 teachers made suggestions (given Teachers outside agriculture, science and below) on how the environment could be used. social studies rarely use the environment as a teaching resource despite the fact that they Table 4: Teacher suggestions as to how to use the recognize its value. Attitudes towards learning environment to promote e i ronmental awareness, and the 'correct learning environment' appear Constructing ponds/environmental areas harder to change than teacher knowledge of its Ecology fieldwork use. Even where teachers are required, as a Collecting and classifying objects/organisms component of their course, to use the environ Tree planting ment they often fail to do so. Map making Although most teachers feel the need for Scale drawing some extension of environmental education this EslL.ating and measuring is not a 'strong feeling' and can only be done by Soil studies reduction of other content in the curriculum. Soil erosion/overgrazing experiments The case of integration verses separate subject Collecting materials for making dyes and paints is not a clear issue in teachers' minds. Descriptive writing and poetry Schools do not all have environmental areas. Art sessions (sketching and painting) Even where these exist they are often not used Recycling projects in teaching. There appears to be a reluctance Roleplaying/acting in the environment amongst teachers to utilize the environment Collecting historical evidence outside the school fence as a resource. Teachers also expressed concern over the Acknowledgements brevity which some issues were treated. Popula- Many thanks to all the teachers who an tion control/contraception, atmospheric pollu- swered the questionnaire and those headmasters tion and resource management rather than just who arranged their prompt dispatch to the a preservation approach to conservation, the author. relationship between environmental issues and politics and the critical debate of these issues References were other topics alluded to. Ed Goldsmith and Hildyard, Earth Report, The sample of teachers were equally divided Mitchell Beazley 1988 as to whether environmental topics should be IUCN, The Nature of Botswana: a guide to !ntegrated into the present curriculum or taught conservation and development, 1990 as a separate subject within the school.

S1 ANational Planning Conference Enviromental education inteacher education for secondary schools now and inthe future RJ Stronkhorst, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, University of Botswana

Introduction achieving and/or maintaining a dynamic equi According to the 'International Stategy for librium between quality of life and quality of Environmental Education for 1990-1999 of the environment" UNEP/UNESCO' the training of teachers isa key Further detaile.1 goals are worked out from factor in the development of environmental this basis on the following levels: education: Goal level 1: The ecological foundation level "The application of new environmental Goal level 2: The conceptual awareness education programmes and proper use of teach- level-issues and values ing materials depends on suitable-trained per- Goal level 3: The investigation and evalua sonnei, as regards both the content and the tion level methods specific to this form of education" Goal level 4: The action skills level-training With teachers well-trained in environmental and application education we can achieve an enormous multi- Aspecial task force of environmental educa plier effect in spreading the impact of environ- tors from all parts of the world were brought mental education at the national level thereby together by UNEP to make a list of key concepts increasing the cost effectiveness of the efforts thfat should be dealt with in environmental made to develop environmental education, education, which links nicely to the above In the National Conservation Strategy (NCS) mentioned goals. the Government commits itself firmly to the principle of 'sustainable development' and has Key concepts formulated several strategies to achieve this. a Levels of being One of the strategy measures formulated is to 0 Cycles increase public awareness through education. 4 Complex systems The introduction of environmental education a Population growth and carrying capacity (unfortunately sometimes called conservation * Ecologically sustainable development education in the NCS report) into both school a Socially sustainable development and teacher training college curricula will re- * Knowledge and uncertainty ceive general support under the Strategy. * Sacredness The NC' stresses the need for the objectives of the Ministry of Education, concerning envi- These g -als and key concepts can form a ronmental education, to be more clearly defined useful basi for curriculum development and and that consistent with this the spectrum of teacher tra ning in Botswana. teaching methods used should be significantly broadened. Current and planned environmental It is clear that the principles of sustainable education activities in teacher education development and natural resource conservation for secondary schools in Botswana will form the basis for environmental education Molepolole College of Education In Botswana. Environmental education elements are incorporated in curricula of the following sub Goals jects: The foliowir.g goals, developed in the early Social Studies-In the unit "Man and the '80s and subsequently used as a guide for cur- Environment", stude-nts are assisted to critically riculum development teacher training, incorpo- examine the management of our environment rate these principles: and ecological problems such as drought, Overall goal-" to aid citizens in becoming desertification and various methods of combat environmentally knowledgeable, and above all, ing these are discussed. The suggested ideas are skilled and dedicated citizt:ns who are willing to practiced during teaching practice. work IndivIdually and collectively toward Science-Sect:ons of ecology, wildlife conser- Environmental Education 11 2 vation and pollution are Incorporated In the An International review of the status of syllabus. Due to constraints of time, these are environmental education has revealed impor not gone into in greaz detail, but some practical tant deficiencies in teacher training programmes aspects of ecology are covered. (pre-service and in-service). This seems to be Students doing neither ot these subjects will limited quite often to adding some content here cover very little on environmental issues unless and there. they are a member of the wildlife club. Few If any teacher training programmes Next to this there is a wildlife club and a adequately prepare teachers to effectively NICE Environment Committee. achieve the goals of environmental education in their classrooms. Botswana doesn't make an Faculty of Education of the University of Botswana exception In this (yet) In my opinion If we look Department of Languages and Social Sci- at what Is being done at the moment. Of course ence-Environmental elements are incorporated this is not strange, because it has not adopted In content courses of the Social Science pro- these goals as such yet. gramme. The goal of any teacher education effort or Department of Mathematics and Science programme in environmental education should Education-Environmental elements are incor- be to develop environmental education compe porated in content courses of the Science Educa- tencies. tion programme. These competencies take the form of knowl The department has developed a one semes- edge, behaviour and skills which are necessary ter environmental education course based on to effectively Incorporate the environmental the UNEP module for Science teachers in which dimensions (based on accepted goals) In educa the practice in for environmental education tional programmes. relevant teaching methods is a major activity. Recently research has been done on "Knowl- The need for teacher training in edge and beliefs/opinions of students concern- environmental education: Ing environmental issues" in secondary e Is emphasized already in the introduction education(form 3 students), Molepolole College and was adequately summarized in recommen of Education(year I and 3) and PESC. Results dations of the Tbilisi Conference on environ will be published at the end of this year and are mental education already in 1977 expected to assist in the development of envi- * However there are many canstraints many ronmental education in Botswana. educational, policy makers, planners and teacher Very soon a major four year Environmental educators are neither aware of the develop Education Project will start in the Faculty of ments/activities in environmental education Education of UB funded by S!DA. (e.g. by UNESCO, WWF, IUCN) nor of the need The aim of this project is to assist in the for teacher training in environmental education. introduction of an cfective environmental This conference hopefully caters to some extent education programme into formal education in for these constraints but will need follow up. Botswana, through developments in teacher Before we say something about required training. competencies of an effective environmental The environmental education component of educator we should agree on the goals/objectives the Natural Resources Management Project also for environmental education in secondary wants to pay attention to development of education. environmental education in teacher training as formulated in its project proposal. Coordination Competencies required of an effective Is important here. environmental educator. Others (technical studies and agriculture (This Isin addition to general knowledge, teacher training to be mentioned under Tertiary attitudes and skills expected of an effective Education). educator) The following groups of competencies are Strategies for the training of teachers in formulated : environmental education * Foundational competencies In professional The following is based on a discussion guide education. for UNESCO Training Seminars on Envlronmen- * Competencies in environmental education tal Education which in my opinion contains content. very useful information for developments In environmental education in teacher education It will be clear that required competencies In Botswana. Where necessary I adapted it to the will vary per subject area and the formulation of Botswana situation. these per subject area is a first step that should

113 ANational Planning Conference be taken. mentation of environmental education curricula It will be clear that much more will be re- and training of teachers. quired of Science, Social Sciences, Technical subjects, Agricultural Science and Home Eco- Infusion of environmental education into Teacher nomics teachers. However all teachers are role Education Programmes. models for our future generation and therefore The following approaches have been men should obtain some basic training In tioned before: environmnetal education. 9 the introduction of an environmental educa Curriculum development in teacher training tion method course programmes * the Ir.fusion of environmental education A process for curriculum developme'it in aspects to curriculum of existing courses teacher training programmes preservice training • adding other courses to programme. programmes In environmental education may involve three approaches : This conference hopefully creates a sympathy toward change, a concept of need and " develop a an affec specific course in environmental tive predisposition in the right persons on t education methods (emphasis on practicing right places. Infusion implementation barriers methods) should be Identified by participants * Infusion themselves. of missing aspects 'nto existing In the UNEP-UNESCO Document 25 many programme courses. infusion possibilities and examples are given, " addition of courses in the curriculum on many of which are useful(with minor adapta missing aspects. tions) for programmes in teacher education in Botswana. Ideally a preservice training programme would incorporate all three of these approaches. Environmental education methods courses for However constraints imposed by time, facilities professional education. and instructor expertise may necessitate other- The International Environmental wise. Education Programme modules of UNESCO-UNEP provide The list of environmental education compe- great material for development of these courses tencies can be used to analyse the existing in teacher training for secondary school teachers curiculum to determine where training in and in a wide variety of subjects. specific competencies is already being achieved The environmental education course in and where there is no training at all taking I)MSE is based on frameworks laid down in place. This kind of analysis should Involve all these modules. Involved In the teaching of the preservice courses. implementation of preservice environmental Based on this decisions can be made on education programmes. which approaches are most suitable to adopt for Changing a curriculum can be like trying to specific programmes. move a cemet.y. The variables affecting its It would be desirable in training programmes implementation are: of especially science and social science, to e influence/power of person(s) who coordinate/ attempt both some degree of infusion and the plan for infusion development of a separate environmental e existence of Inside advocates education methods course (as has started In e institution's attitude toward infusion of DMSE). This would enhance the probability of environmental education developing competencies in environmental • institution's possession of environmental education and incre ise the general teaching education competencies effectiveness. Or, in other words, the upgrading * availability of environmental education of the quality of current teacher eduction pro- experts for environmental education Teacher grammes. Trainers In-service We need teacher educators who are capable * students' support and feedback of developing these competencies. Training will * availability of funds e.g. for teacher trainers be required here. Suggestions for this have been In-service; made In the UB Environmental Education e existing curriculum Project Proposal. * availability of proper resources/fcilities for It is my opinion that at UB a masters degree environmental education courses in environmental education should be devel- 9 degree of adoptation of environmental oped to train the coordinators/resource persons education In curricula for secondary educa we need to guide the development and imr e- tion. Environmental Education 11 4 Afirst thing to do Isto make an inventory of mental education there will be a clear need restrainig and driving forces for each variable, for In-service for the added requirements; After this the Implementing, In which all who * a thorough training will be required for those are affected by it, can be executed. conducting the in-service and/or assistance of environmental education experts have to be In-service teacher training in environmental sought; education e If follow up workshops (based on peer train In Botswana two In-service structures exist for ing) are organised this will only be useful teachers in secondary education after the teachers gained considerable compe tency In environmental education aspects, " The Ministry of Education in-service system which will only be after they have had covering most subject areas based on a work- experience with the methods in their own Ing force of Field Education Officers spread lessons all over the country, visiting schools, assist- * IEEP modules provide useful information for ing departments/individual teachers and organising in-service in environmental organising workshops. education • The UB-INSET Project of the Department of 9 coordination Is important as will be discussed Mathematics and Science Education which in a later session in the conference. Consulta provides In-service to mathematics and tion with existing environmental education sdence zeachers mainly through organising project coordinators is essential workshop,; and peer training in follow up • the In-service activity should be fully sup workshops. ported by the teachers;they should be in volved in the planning from the beginning. Before we start with in-service (as with preservice) in environmental education the References following steps should be taken: Anonymus, 1987. International Strategy for Environmental Education in the 1990s. " depending on accepted goals/objectives UNESCO-UNEP Document. formulated for environmental education in Anonymous, 1990. Botswana National Conser secondary education required competencies vation Strategy. Government of Botswana can be formulated for the secondary school document. teachers in specific subjects; Hungerford, H., Volk, T., a.o., 1990. An Environ " a needs assessmnt will have to show on mental Education Approach to the Training which aspects tie in-service has to focus, of Middle level Teachers : a prototype pro gramme. UNESCO-UNEP Document no. 30. After these steps have been taken existing Meadows, D., 1989. Harvesting one hundred structures(with their methods of in-service) can fold. Key Concepts and Case Studies In be mobilized. Environmental Education. UNESCO-UNEP Plans exist to start with In-service in environ- Document. mental education already next year. I hope the Hunge!rford, H., a.o., 1987. Strategies for the following will be taken into consideration first: training of teachers in Environmental Educa • the in-service must be relevant for develop- tion. UNESCO-UNEP document no. 25. ment of competencies of teachers which are R.J. Stronkhorst, 1990. Perspectives on Environ required for them at the moment or in the mental Education in Teacher Education in near future; Botswana. Paper presented In National Con " as soon as changes will be made in the sec- ference on Teacher Education in Tonota, ondary school curricula related to environ- April 1990.

115 ANational Planning Conference Health education in Botswana S A Goma ActingHead, EnvironmentalHealth Unit, Community Health Services

Primary health care munities concerned. An effort must be made to The Government Health Policy is the attain- enable individuals and communities to play an ment of 'health for all' by the year 2000. It is active role in the planning and delivery of expected that every inhabitant of Botswana health care. would have attained a level of health that will To assume such a role, people need guidance allow them to lead an economically and socially and encouragement from health care providers productive life. Everyone will have access to in ways of identifying and of finding solutions essential health care. to their health problems. They also should be To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Health able to set targets and translate these into simple has focused on Primary Health Care as being the and realistic goals that can be monitored. How most appropriate target. One of the major ever, the involvement in health of individuals components of this is health education. The and communities does not absolve the health dominant causes of Ill health are still infectious care providers from their responsibilities. These diseases and to some extent conditions associ- should have a thorough understanding of the ated with under-nutrition, Inadequate environ- 'health culture' of the communities they serve mental sanitation and lack of safe water supply, and how that culture is influenced by the dy Health education therefore targets the condi- namics of social and cultural change as well as tions that lead to such infections, by political and economic organisation. The Before I proceed further it may be useful to change in focus of social and health education define what is meant by 'health education', from that of individual behaviour to an ap Health as defined by WHO is a 'state of com- proach taking into consideration the social plete physical, emotional and social well-being' context in which the individual lives Is an (and not Just the absence of disease and infir- important one. It is now recognised that politi mity). Health education therefore concerns cal, economic and environmental factors have a prevailing health problems and the methods of negative effect on an individual's health. This preventing and controlling them. comprehensive approach implies that health We have to distinguish between health education models should be developed based on education and information. Impromptue radio human ecology and take into account the messages and posters are examples of health interaction between the biological and environ information. But health education is much mental factors influencing harmonious develop deeper as it includes changing people's behav- ment. iour and attitudes. It is essential therefore to review the current approaches to health educa- Health education and rural development tion to Identify those that continue to be rel- The Integration of health education goals evant today and to develop In new approaches the planning and management of environmen which could help in achieving the objectives of tal health programmes requires a systematic 'health for all' through Prmary Health Care. approach. Strategy formulation should empha One major objective of the Primary Health sise thc importance of :ntegrating health educa Care approach is to help individuals and com- tion goals into other sectors such as, agriculture, munities become self-reliant in dealing with housing, water development, industry, literary health problems and to raise the effectiveness of programmes, etc. Health is no longer the pre the person's own contribution to their health. rogative of any single group. This objective calls for a people-oriented health The National Rural Sanitation Project being technology that meets people's needs and popularised in the rural areas of Botswana ispirations. Too often in the is a past, modern good example of an Integrated approach health practices have where been promoted without environmental health education isof giving sufficient thought vital to their relevance to importance. The main objective is to encourage the social and cultural background of the com- Individuals in rural areas to constuct 'Improved

Environmental Education 116 ventilated pit-latrines' (VIPs) with a special * Phasing of Implentation In accordance subsidy from the Government. The project has with available resources. demonstrated a methodology for motivating * Facilitating the health education process rural householders to participate both in physi- by recruiting and training community facilities. cal and financial terms !n the construction of • Developing learning materials which are family latrines. The whole household is respon- simple and manageable. sible for enrolling in programme, paying a • Making use of multi-media approaches. registration fee of P30 and digging the pit ac cording to specifications. After verification of There is no doubt therefore that new policies this household task by the village sanitation for health education In primary health care coordinator, the project team builds the super- must include clear, unequivocal recognition of structure and returns later to install the vent the need for active involvement of the commu pipe. nity In health planning and In the Implementa Health education was supposed to be fully tion and evaluation of appropriate services and integrated in the project but its delivery was technology. To fulfil its task, health education poor. An evaluation showed that the provision should receive a strong mandate from national of latrines alone did not have a direct impact on policies and a commitment to the equitable reducing the incidence of diarrhoea. Only when distribution of health resources and provide for a pit latrine was accompanied by improved the integration of health education. Policies usage practices and better overall household should include the utillsation of education hygiene did it make a difference. The adoption programmes on those stages of the health care of better sanitation and hygiene has been shown process where the effective involvement of to Improve health. The adoption of better people and their Increased self reliance require sanitation and hygiene practices is largely additional understanding and skills. dependent on effective health education. The evaluation showed that even in household with Training programme at the National Health latrines, some family members did not use them. Institute Males, in particular, did not use the latrine to The National Health Institute (NHI) runs urinate and most children under-5 did not use courses In Nursing for the training of Registered the latrine at all. Yet the large majority of nurses, Enrolled nurses, and Community nurses. households feel that ownership of a latrine has It also provides courses for Medical laboratory considerable convenience value and improves technicians, Pharmacy technicians, Dental the quality of life. The presence of a latrine does therapists and until recently health assistants. not necessarily mean that the oral-faecal trans- Health education is taught In all basic courses mission cycle is broken. Therefore, unless the which are compulsory. The major aim of having personal hygiene habits of all members of the a health education component as a core subject household are changed through proper health at the NHI Is to ensure that all health cadres education, the incidence of diarrhoea will have an understanding of the basic principles continue to be a problem. and methods In health education to ensure that The main operational principles that guide they can mobilise the community in health the implementations of health education are: activities. At present health education is offered only * A problem-based approach where the as a component of the basic training courses. programme envolves out of analysing and However, there are plans to introduce and up solving problems identified by the target audi- grade the current status of the course. The ence, trainers and specialists. Ministry of Health has approved and accepted a a Limiting and focusing the educational proposal by NHI to start a three year diploma in content on priority messages that are within the health education during NDP7. The exact date reach of target audience. In particular: of introduction will depend on availability of 0 What is achievable In respect of the teachers and financial resources. target audice taking into consideration the Current elements in the health education possible effects of phasing out of subsidies. component are as follow: * What is achievable for the imple menting agencies In relation to the resources 9 Principles, methods and practice of health available to them. education. • What is likely to have the greatest 9 Importance of Individual, family and com impact on health standards and health status. munity participation and co-operation In * Seeking Intially to achieve satisfactory health education programmes, poverty issues, standards in a small pilot stage before attempt- ethnic differences, educational levels, super ing to achieve widespread coverage. stitions, etc. 11 7 A National Planning Conference " Uses of visual aids and mass media in health problems education. of his patients, taking into account the physical, psychological * Principles and soco-cultural and procedures in community aspects. organisation and diagnosis, definition and a Work as a leading personality partner in a health care of the community. team. " Individual and mass roles within the commu- e Educate the population and motivate nity and formation of health committees, them to Improve their health. Upon completion e Continually Increase his level of competence of the formal course of through: studies, a graduate of the NHI programme will e Take part in postgraduate training (resi have acquired or developed knowledge, abilities dency programmes specialization, courses, and attitudes so that he will be able to: etc) and training (students and colleagues). 0 Periodically evaluate Perform professional services within a com- his professional activities, recognise his educational needs, munity health care system compatible with select appropriate learning resources and the overall policies of the Ministry of Health. In particular: evaluate his progress. * Aid the development of the health sciences Identify and by engaging in teaching define present and future seek solutions and research and community to the new health problems of health problems and work to his patients, resolve such problems community or health care by the planning, system with implementation and which he is not familiar. evaluation of preventive * Maintain and develop or remedial programmes, personal characteristics and attitudes required for professional * Use clinical skills, knowledge, original life, such as personal integrity, sense of responsi observations and appropriate records to bility and dependability, and ability to identify, diagnose, manage (prevent, refer relate or to, communicate with and show concern treat rationally) and follow-up the health and respect to his patients and colleagues.

Environmental Education 118 Environmental education at the Botswana College of Agriculture William H Kelly VisitingProfessor, Botswana College ofAgriculture

Introduction no exception in this regard. However, It Is I do not pret( nd to be an expert on environ- interesting to note that in spite of this long mental educatio i, but I have had considerable standing emphasis in colleges of agriculture experience in th Jarea in the United States and I worldwide, soil erosion continues to be a very am firmly committed to the concept that much serious problem in almost every country. One more must be done in this arena at all levels of reason for this could be that the problem of soil society. Tertiary education, as the highest level erosion has usually been addressed in a purely of formal education, has the heavy responsibil- technical fashion and the cultural, social and ity of ensuring that graduates, regardless of their economic aspects have been ignored. academic programme, enter their respective In my opinion relationship between various professions with a solid understanding of the agricultural management practices and the long need to address current environmental problems term impact on the environment is not suffi now, and to not continue to mortgage the clently emphasized. Also, many faculty staff are ecological future of their children as my genera- not thoroughly familiar with the National tion has done all too many times. Conservation Strategy (NCS), and therefore the Environmental problems and issue! annot key features of this plan related to agricultural be relegated to just intellectual discussions over production and management are not yet an drinks and hors d'oeuvres at cocktail parties. I integral part of relevant courses. Many recognize think all of us believe that the topic of this and acknowledge that they should be doing conference is serious and the challenge pre- more In the area of environmental education, sented to us is to design educational pro- but they need assistance and encouragement on grammes at all leve!s that will result in everyone how to do this most effectively and efficiently. becoming an environmentalist-using that term in the most positive connotation. A suggested approach Though I have spoken with some department Afundamental philosophy regarding envi heads and faculty staff at the Botswana College ronmental education needs to be adopted by the of Agriculture (BCA) on the topic of environ- BCA. The presenter recommends that the two mental education, they have not read this paper main components of this philosophy should be: and the plan proposed here has not been dis cussed with 13CA administrators so has not yet Environmental education should be inte been approved. The ideas and suggestions in this grated into existing courses and not taught as paper represent an agricultural education per- a separate subject. Teaching it as a separate spective as a contribution to this initial dialogue subject Increases the possibility that environ on environmental education. This report will be mental issues are only discussed in that modified to reflect relevant ideas and sugges- setting and are not seen as something that tions gleaned from this Conference before it is must be addressed by everyone In all aspects submitted to the administrators and faculty at of life. the BCA for their reaction and, hopefully, active The entire educational programme at the Implementation. BCA should emphasize the development of a sustainable agricultural system for Botswana. Current situation "Sustainable agriculture" can be defined as a Environmental education is not ati integral system of agricultural production that is part of the agricultural curriculum at the BCA at ecologically sound and economically viable. the present time. The faculty Isquick to point This must be a balanced system of adequate out that the teaching of soil and water conserva- agricultural production that protects and tion, Including the prevention of soil erosion, sustains the natural environment while still has been a traditional part of any good agricul- permitting farmers to make an adeqitate tural programme for many years and the BCA is profit. 119 ANational Planning Conference Convincing the faculty to agree that this is Issues, whether related to agriculture or the correct guiding philosophy could be quite any other area, without being conscious of develop difficult and getting agreement on what consti- ment issues and especially rural and urban tutes sustainable agriculture could also difficult. For be very poverty. example, the overall benefits of the Poverty-worldwide-is highly publicized the greatest environ Green Revolution are still mental being debated, problem of all. Poor people will not be especially in regard to its concerned sustainability. with environmental problems until There are critics who maintain their that this programme basic needs are met and their level of was developed at the poverty expense of reduced. The relationship between the poor and others who will remind poverty us that Africa and environmental problems was was generally left out of this addressed 'miracle development.' very effectively in an essay on 'How to Secure Our Common Therefore, the approach Future' by Gro Harlem of thoroughly inte- Brundtland who was grating environmental education chairperson of the World Into agricul- Commission on Environment tural education at the tertiary and Develop level will not be ment. Quoting Ms an easy task. Some of the complexity Bruntland: of the "Poverty is a major cause problem, both environmentally, economically and also a major effect of global environmental problems. and socially Is emphasized in the following It is futile to seek solutions to environmental quote from the September 1989 Issue distur of Scien- bances without considering them tific American which was devoted to the theme from a broad perspective that encompasses the factors 'Managing Planet Earth': "In order for under new, less lying world poverty and the inequalities damaging techniques to have an effect, within they and among nations. For developing must be used. For them to countries, be introduced at the poverty lies at the level of the Individual farm, heart of all issues. The poor they must benefit are forced to eat next the farmer. In a market year's seed corn, to cut system, such benefit scarce forests generally takes the for fuelwood. Although such form of profit. Yet markets practices may are not well equipped be rational short-term tactics for to protect resources such survival, in the as water longer term they can only result and genetic diversity, in which it is indisaster". difficult to establish property rights. In our view Yet it is both futile and an the most challenging problems for agricultural insult to the poor to tell them that they must remain policy is to devise Institutional mechanisms in poverty to that 'protect the environment.' The will reward individual farmers for World Commis valuing these sion on Environment and precious resources at their true social Development con worth." cluded in its 1987 report, 'Our I would like to see Botswana Common Future,' avoid the polari- that sustained economic zation that rook place in the growth, which is a pre United States condition for the elimination between agriculturists and environmentalists. of mass poverty, is If possible only within a more equitable any two groups should be working together interna it is tional economic regime. The commission these two. Concentrating on sustainable agricul- called for a new era of economic growth - growth ture should put both groups on the same that path enhances the resource base rather leading to a sustainable society. William 0 than degrades it. We know now that growth and development Ruckelhaus, In his article "'oward a Sustainable need not be environmentally degrading; World' in the same September 1989 that in Issue of fact, growth can create the Scientific American stated: capital and the capacity necessary to solve environmental "Sustainability Is the nascent doctrine that problems. And without growth, how can economic growth and development must take we place, provide for twice the present population some and be maintained over time, within the time In the next century, when we cannot limits set by ecology In the broadest sense-by the Interrelations provide for everybody today? of human beings and their These works, the biosphere comments are very germane to devel and the physical and oping an environmental chemical laws education programme that govern It. The doctrine of for sustainabllity the Botswana College of Agriculture because holds too that the spread of a agriculture reasonable level of prosperity is a fundamental industry and many and security to the graduates of the less developed nations College will work for the Minis is essential to protecting try of Agriculture ecological balance or private industry and will be and hence essential to the directly involved continued prosperity with all types of farmers. This of the wealthy nations. It will be especially follows that environmental true for those individuals who protection and end up working economic development for the Ministry of Agriculture are complementary in the area of Agricultural rather than antagonistic processes", Extension. Therefore, a topic that needs to be developed Continuing with very com- this same line of thinking, I pletely in the BCA believe that curriculum Is the complex one cannot discuss environmental interface between economic development and Environmental Education 120 environmental concerns. There are three essen- filters to peasants hardly reaches women; they tial "Es" that must be addressed Environment, form a tiny component of those who receive Education and Economics. It isfairly easy to training in modern methods; their traditional develop an environmental education pro- knowledge, especially regarding seed, is not gramme for any Institution if one takes a strictly sought nor built upon. They are not consulted academic approach, but without addressing regarding community forestry". economic issues in a straight-forward manner, It will be a case of students hearing an idealistic Action plan approach to environmental issues in the class- [ believe the recommendations and philoso room and observing very different behaviour 'in phy contained in these statements highlight the the real world.' For example, students need to critical fact that any environmental education learn why many businesses are totally absorbed programme In an agricultural Institution must with short-term profits which are frequently at thoroughly integrate a solid understanding of odds with environmental concerns and sustain- social systems and social interactions into the able development. To quote economist Kenneth technical courses. Document No. 28 In the E Boulding, UNESCO-UNEP Environmental Education Series "All of nature's systems are closed loops, lists the following principles which they suggest while economic activities are linear and assume should be observed when incorporating environ inexhaustible resources and 'sinks' in which to mental education Into agricultural education. I throw away our refuse." believe they can also apply to the broader An advisory Panel on Food Security, Agricul- context of environmental education in general. ture, Forestry, and Environment was established in 1985 by The World Commission on Environ- * The greater the expression of concern for ment and Development (WCED) and was asked environmental education by many groups to indicate how humankind can be insulated and individual leaders in society, the greater from hunger on an ecologically sustainable the probability of success in incorporating basis. This Panel was chaired by Dr M S environmental education into agricultural Swaminathan. a highly respected agriculturist, education. and they submitted a report to the WCED titled * There must be specific Individuals and or 'Food 2000: Global Policies for Sustainable ganizations with responsibility for environ Agriculture'. Their report contains many excel- mental education in order to provide the lent and very viable suggestions and recommen- necessary substantive, emotional and social dations that have direct implication for any support to the total effort. agricultural/environmental education pro- * The concepts of environmental education gramme. In discussing the role of Extension must receive support and enhancement as Education and the role of women, this report integral parts of many courses. contained the following statements: ° The gains made through personal commit "Extension workers, agents of change, etc., ments to the values of environmental educa must be able to visit villages and provide in situ tion are more essential to long-term success training, thus developing with the farmers than short-term projects with dollar support. themselves, technologies suitable to the users and the ecosystems. In addition, peasants are Proposals for the future thereby exposed to the successful experiences of To develop a truly sustainable agriculture isa others. The concept of field days can be ex- very complex process. As staff at BCA become tended to cover visits to other parts of the more familiar with the National Conservation country and possibly to neighbouring coun- Strategy for Botswana and other significant tries", environmental literature such as 'Our Common "Women play a critical role in food produc- Future', they should become even more aware of tion: In cultivation, seed selection, storage; In the significant number of inter-related and inter some regions they are the basis for successful dependent factors involved in the process which afforestation efforts; they provide the main in turn highlights both the interdisciplinary and labour on the minifundia in Latin America, the multidisciplinary nature of any environmental Caribbean and Asia; in sub-Saharan Africa, education programme. women's contribution to food production is as Each academic department should develop its high as 73% in some countries. Despite their own plan for environmental education in Its important role in ecological and agricultural respective discipline. The College also needs to rehabilitation and enduring food security, in establish an Environmental Education Coordi many countries they do not have direct rights to nating Committee with one representative from land and their rights to it are being curtailed by each academic department. To expand the titles being provided to men. What technology interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature of 121 A National Planning Conference the BCA curriculum and to strengthen the social serving as a model for energy conservation. science Input, this Committee should also Efficient and effective use of solar Include adjunct members from the Departments energy, water catchment and recycling, and the of Anthropology and Sociology at the University maintenance of a clean and healthy of Botswana and the National living Institute of Devel- environment are just opment Research and Documentation a few of the many (NIR). possibilities whereby the College This Environmental Education cart teach Coordinating by example. It must become Committee should be charged a living example with the responsi- of action speaking, or teaching, bility for: more loudly than words. " Identifying and suggesting various procedures for Conclusions Implementing interdisciplinary This is aspects a very heavy agenda and one of the of environmental education Into the reactions BCA of individual faculty members could curriculum. very " Identifying well be, "What's in it for me"? This would the need for specific Professional be a very Development legitimate response and my answer Workshops (PDWs) to assist would be-very the significant professional recogni faculty staff In obtaining more Informa- tion. tion This professional recognition can come and strategies for integrating environ- from meri~al publishing how they have successfully education Into their instructional incorporated programmes. environmental education into This series of workshops should their respective be supported courses, and, if they extend the by both the Minister of Agricul- suggested philosophy ture and the Minister and action agenda to their of Education. Hopefully personal research activities, each Minister there is an almost would make strong and sincere unlimited frontier statements of commitment of opportunities. to environmental In closing, I want to quote education at the Initial two highly re workshop. spected scientists and " When necessary, the BCA researchers, Pierre R. should act as a Crosson and Norman J. Rosenberg, catalyst for Initiating seminars who con to discuss cluded their article on 'Strategies critical issues that could for Agriculture' lead to des!rable with the following statement: changes in policy and planning. These seminars "It is our view that in the long run, the most should Include BCA staff and students successful and approaches will rest on merging personnel from the Ministry of Agricul- individual ture's Research and societal interests rather than on Centre. enforcing the one " More of the over the other. This Is essen practical work should focus on tially an institutional, the Interdisciplinary not a technological, and multidisciplinary problem. What aspects of Is lacking are forms of communi environmental problems and cation that Issues. More connect the overarching interest of individual student projects society In should a sustainable agricultural system with have the same focus. the * In each well-being of the individual farmer. Specifi year of a student's academic pro- cally, institutional gramme, mechanisms must be devised there should be a weekly seminar that correctly (60 signal the emerging social to 90 minutes long) emphasizing the scarcities problem-solving of land, water and genetic diversity. approach to real agricul- Finding these mechanisms tural/environmental problems is the most impor facing Bot- tant policy challenge for swana. the world's agricultural development". " Field Practical Training (FlyI') assignments I believe these views are consistent should concentrate on exposing with the students to theme of this presentation and, good examples of sustainable while obviously agriculture, the development of an environmental both on farms and in government education agricul- prograi -me for the Botswana College tural offices. It would be better of Agricul to have no ture is not going solve all of Botswana's, FPT at all than to have students or even exposed to a fraction of the world's, environmental poor examples and to learn 'bad habits.' or Pgricultural problems, it should help to produce • Ensuring that good environmental practices the kind of future agricultural leaders who can are followed by all personnel at the College help to alleviate some of the existing problems to prevent environmental education from and, at the very least, not create new problems. becoming just an Interesting topic for discus sion. Perhaps the members of this Commit tee, or other designated individuals, will have to assume the role of 'Environmental Watch dogs.' This includes providing models of appropriate technology that are ecologically acceptable, with an emphasis on the College Environmental Education 122 Environmental education in Botswana Brigades BSwallander Senior Techical Education Officer, BRIDEC

Introduction knowledge about spedfic issues such as asbestos There are today 26 registered Brigades in hazards Isprobably very low among instructors Botswana, each an autonomous entity governed as well as trainees. by a Board of Trustees. The Brigades Develop- In wholesale and retail outlets, colourful ment Centre (BRIDEC) offers advice and support brochures usually dwell on the advantages of to the Brigades and Government channels products, but little warning about the risks of bursaries through it (about P2 200 per trainee working with the material is included. In addi per year). The Brigades currently have about tion, proper protective clothing and handling of 1 500 trainees in 11 different trades. The con- the material is often neglected; such precautions cept is one of 'training with production' which often appear to complicate and hamper the job. means that about 40% of the time is spent on Regrettably there is little knowledge about theory in the classroom and 60% is on-job- working with dangerous materials such as training. The majority of trainees (about 70%) asbestos, vet to use them safely, a number of are Involved in training in Building/Bricklaying things are required such as knowing the hazards and Carpentry. The remainder are either trained of the product, knowing the precautions to be in mechanical traees such as Auto-mechanics, taken and finally, observing those precautions Welding, Plumbing, Machine fitting and Electri- To take a specific example, battery suppliers cal or in Typing, Horticulture or Forestry. do buy back old batteries as 'trade-ins' for new ones. However, most batteries are probably just The curriculum retained and later dumped. Waste oil Isoften Science was re-introduced as an academic burnt or dumped although there is a market for subject in the Brigades syllabus three years ago its use In treating poles for fences. In order for trainees to get a better understand ing of the technical applications of Science; also The future included were elements of environmental To be able inform trainees about protection education. In preparation for this paper, a letter of themsleves and the environment it Is first was sent to all Brigades with the intention of necessary for instructors to have basic knowl finding out what environmental education edge about the issues concerned. A conference activities were currently taking place. The fol- like this can serve as an initiator by alerting lowing questions were passed: decision makers to the problem of sensitisation and training of instructors and stressing that * Have you developed any environmental action is required urgently. From this first step, education policy in your brigade? action plans can be developed on how to tackle * How do you include environmental issues in the task ahead. People will ask why such action your theoretical and practical training? Is necessary and so they need to be well in " Do you have any instructions on how to formed. This is where the involvement of the work with asbestos material? Brigades instructors must be encouraged. " Do you have any policy on how to treat It is also important to realize that the Bri waste material-old batteries, oil, etc? gades train a practical work force-our builders, " What sort of assistance would you like to carpenters and other craftsmen. Teaching only have on environmental education activities? the basics of environmental education can be attempted. A more complete understanding of So far I have not received one response, so let environmental issues probably needs a broad me try to elaborate on the possible reasons for base in the Natural Sciences, Statistics and this. The fact is that probably very few if any Economic, as well as a trained mind in abstract Brigades have a developed environmental policy thinking. Few people at the moment have these and the reality is that environmental issues are pre-requisites, but this should not prevent the not included In training programmes. Indeed, Brigades from addressing environmental issues. 123 ANational Planning Conference Existing and planned environmental education activities in technical institutions, particularly the Botswana Polytechnic S A Manchisi Lecturer, Botswana Polytechnic

Introduction In this In conclusion, paper Ifocus on the Botswana Poly- not stressed environmental education is technic though at Botswana Polytechnic though many of the comments are certain programmes relevant to Vocational Training Colleges touch upon it in those (VTCs). departments mentioned above. The The students In the first year programmes external In examining body, City and Guilds technical Institutions come from different probably does not consider environmental education impor educational backgrounds. The majority of the Polytechnic tant for technical colleges. Even in our newly students come from secondary introduced schools after completing locally devised degree programmes, Junior, Certificate or there are only a few Cambridge elements of environmental Overseas School Certificate, but education. some are already In employment In both Gov ernment and private sectors. In some Institu- Reasons for lack of emphasis in tions, places are also offered to non-citizen environmental students education in technical wanting to study In this country. institutions Current To design programmes status of environmental education education of environmental Students in technical colleges isproblematic. follow speciallsed syllabi from both The following local are the main reasons why this Is and overseas bodies. For example, most so: students at the Botswana Polytechnic follow the United Kingdom's City and Guilds Syllabi which 9 The depth of the existing syllabi consider topics In great depth but with little and time emphasis put pressures related to this (for example, City on environmental issues except In and Guilds) certain Science complicates the task of iritroduc- courses. An analysis of environ- Ing environmental mental themes in the education. following departments at a The design of environmental Botswana Polytechnic reveals the following: education courses In these technical institutions is Electrical Engineering difficult because of specialization -The Science Labora- ences in and differ tory subject matter taught in various Assistants Certificate contains separate departments topics In Environmental Science. or sections. In the * The organization and implementation Science Laboratory Technicians programme, of Environmental programmes of technical education varies Chemistry is taught along greatly with from country to country and there Chemistry. appears * Civil Engineering-Students to be limited exchange of Ideas. in the Diploma e Knowledge acquired only In Land Use Studies (DLUS) cover many a few years ago is environmental rapidly outdated as new technologies are Issues. At the end of their first introduced, year they sit new tools acquired, new materi Pert Iin Environmental Studies ais are added and write their to traditional ones or replace Part 11 examinations in their them. It is difficult second year. There are some to keep pace with techno elements of logical innovations, never environmental education mind teach about in other courses their environmental impact. but these " Mechanicalare not well defined. Engineering--There are no Despite separate these problems, considering the topics coveiin- "vironmental importance Issues, although of environmental issues to the there are topics on environ- engineers of tomorrow, mental related problems both in Industry and in most courses, other related fields, technical " Teacher Education-In the BEd Design Institutions should and consider Introducing elements of environmental Technology some environmental Issues are education. mentioned These would greatly benefit students but environmental education who on completion receives lit', e emphasis. of their courses become supervisors and work directly with tradesmen Environmental : ication 124 along with general workers. If a supervisor is aware of environmental problems he will also It is for these reasons that environmental assess risks at his work place and take appropri- education should form part of a technical educa ate measures to avoid them, both for himself tion process. Syllabi and programmes of envi and his fellow workers. ronmental education must be designed for both young men and women receiving their initial Aims of environmental education in technical education and those who are already technical institutions employed. Almost daily there are accounts in the press The graduates of tomorrow will be employed about the negative effects of industry and other in a huge variety of technical areas. This diver fields of economic activity on the environment. sity mi:'n that environmental education must For instance, new materials and equipment are be specifically targeted to well defined fields of introduced without [rior regard to the side- activity with clear definition of priority issues in effects which they may have on those who will environmental protection and improvement. use them directly in their work or on passive The aims of environmental education should bystanders. Air pollutants in particular know no therefore be to: boundaries and dust particles and other impuri ties or poisonous elements often create un- * the production 'environmental-friendly' healthy conditions for workers and for people in technology. One aspect is the design of this surrounding areas. type of technology, another would relate to The usual explanation given to this accelerat- the disposal of liquid and solid waste prod ing environmenta' destruction -the accidents ucts of it. that occur, the de tructive side-effects of many * the improvement of health and safety. Many activities our modern society is that 'the human of our graduates will be required to assess factor' is to blame. This factor can be translated risks in the work place and must be aware of into 'ignorance and negligence' Somewhere the impact of technology on health and along the line of actions leading to environmen- environment. tal damage are engineers, technicians, foremen and workers who do not know, or who do not If technical personnel are to help minimize understand, or who do perhaps not care what environmental risks, they need to learn to effects there can be. Their actual job may be in appreciate, identify and evaluate the effects of design, maintenance or management and plan- their professional work on the environment. In ning. F.ach has a responsibility for the health particular they need to be aware of the environ safety of the workforce and the condition of the mental properties of the raw materials they are environment. using, the process which they are designing or To combat this widespread ignorance of controlling, and the risks to those who perform environmental issues, people must be equipped them. with the knowledge and skills needed for deal- My own view is th - the term 'our environ ing with them. In addition they should convey ment' can be subdivided into two elements: to others the sense of responsibility necessary foi proper application of these skills and knowledge. * the outer environment, which is simply the These to my mind are the principal objectives of 'world around us' and environmental education in tertiary educatlon, a the inner environment, which is the work and they are particularly important because of place. the key roles of the engineers, technicians, foremen, supervisors and workers in reducing The issues relating to the outer environment and eliminating negative environmental effects. are of special Importance to technical staff as If we attach special importance to environmen- they control the impact of technology on the tal education we shall combat these threats to quality of life on earth, by the type of activity in the human environment, which they are engaged. The issues in the outer Engineers and technicians are the principal environment range from waste disposal, graduates of technical institutions and it is these through to land reclamation and material graduates who need special environmental recycling. education for two different reasons: Environmental education relating to the inner environment has a different emphasis " they take part in the development and pro- common features are knowledge of poisonous duction processes which markedly influence elements used in the work processes, equipment the human environment and related risks, organizational risks, process-related " like any other human being, are directly risks and product-related risks. Rapid technologi affected by that environment. cal development, particularly, in the chemical

125 ANational Planning Conference industry and other related fields and the devel- Identification of Reference Departments/or opment of new products make it necessary for groups with specalist, knowledge whose technical personnel to update themselves regu- functions would be: larly on health and safety issues. to advise people on specific dangers of certain substances and Iiow to dispose them Other environmental activities intechnical safely. institutions to review the means of policing the inner In our Institutions, the goal should not only and outer environment to identify danger be to teach environmental education, but also to ous substances. be involved in other activities related to the environment such as: Much can be achieved if technical in.titu tions work together in this venture. With the * Formation of Health, Safety and Environ- help and encouragement from Government and ment Committees. Their ilms would be: other sectors Including the University of Bot to review health and safety policies and swana, I am sure we can make the Southern environmental issues and their Impact on African countries and Botswana in particular, students and staff as well as on the public, safer and cleaner places to live in. It would to arrange seminars, meetings and site require the co-opcration of all SADCC member visits includingteaching specialsed topics on countries, and also South Africa. This regional environmental issues on certain courses, approach is essentinl since water and air pollut Other bodies such as Wildlife Sodeties and ants are not restricted by international bounda Conservation Clubs could be involved. ries.

Environmental Education 126 Existing and planned environmental education activities in university education 0 Totolo EnvironmentalScience Department, UniversityofBotswana

Introduction tal course from any department. I must empha The term "environment" is a complex con- size that at the moment only the subject matter cept, the dictionary definition being "that which on the environment is being taught by the encompasses surrounding objects" or "the sum above departments. There are a few departments of all external influences affecting an organism." within the Faculty of Education which are We must perforce look at the concept from a actually providing aspects of environmental human point of view, so our environment is cur education. These are the Departments of Math home, 'the Earth and all that's In it-organic life ematics and Science Education and Languages and inanimate matter'. Inescapably, therefore, and Social Sciences. we are an integral part of this totality; whatever Iwould briefly to outline how each depart -,e do has influence and impact from which we ment mentioned above teaches about the envi cannot in any way escape. That influence can be ronment. utterly baleful-or it can be benign. Regrettably to date it has tended to be the former rather Environmental science than the latter. The Department teaches students from all Environmental education on the other hand faculties (Education, Social Sciences, Humanities refers to teaching people how to impart informa- and Science). The major aims of the department tion about the environment: in other words are: extension work. Students are taught skills and techniques of imparting information about ihe 9 to develop an understanding of the physical environment. Therefore before one could be- or natura] environment, the human or man come an environmental educationist it is neces- made environment; and the intimate rela sary first to study the environment. tionship between the two 0 to Impart the skills and methodologies The situation at the University of Botswana required to describe and assess the physical Proceeding from the above premise it could and human environni2nt. be said that there are at least seven University * to introduce the idea and concepts of rational departments which are teaching about research- environmental planning and management as ing on aspects of the environment: they pertain to the sustainable use of natural resources. * Environmental Science * Biology The Department of Environmental Science * The Pre-Entry Science Department offers the following courses; • Physics * Chemistry e Introduction to Man/Environment relation * Environmental Research at National Institute ships of Development Research and Documenta- e Human Environment-Population and tion. migration, Settlements, Economics geogra phy, Environmental planning theory and Although each department has a mandate to practice, and Urban design and planning teach about the environment in their own way I * Physical Environment-Landforms and think there is a need for all the above depart- geomorphology, Water (hydrology), soils, ments to work closer together in order to foster a Climate and Ecology better understanding of the environment. At the * Applied Studies-Natural resource utilisation moment teaching about the environment is and conservation, Environmental hazards, disconnected and not well co-ordinated between Land resources survey and assessment, Land the different University departments. Personally use planning, and Regional development and I advocate that students choose an environmen- planning

127 A National Planning Conference * Practical Techniques--Map interpretation, Project, Industrial Pollution in Botswana, 'Natu Cartographic design and construction, Statis- ral insecticides, Water in Botswana, Man-made tical analysis of environmental data and the lakes in Africa, Water purification at Gaborone Interpretation and use of air photo and Dam, Alternative sources of energy in Botswana, satellite remote sensing and environmental The Gaborone sewage system assessment and planning " M.Sc Environmental Planning Biology Department The Department of Biology teaches about the Physics Department environment under the following course head Tine department offers several courses related ings: to the environment to undergraduates: @ Applied Biology e.g. pasture management * Envirormental Physics * Ecology: The structure and functions of * Agricultural Physics populations, communities and ecosystems. * Energy Physics * Atmospheric Physics Chemistry Department In addition to teaching analytical techniques, The department will soon offer an M.Sc the Department covers the following topics on containing the following postgraduate courses: the environment under special topics: * Energy Physics * Pollution * Environmental Physics * Water/Soils * Agricultural Physics • Atmospheric Physics The National Institute of Development * Physics of the Earth Research and Documentation * Seismology The Environmental Research Unit focuses on three fields: Pre-Entry Science Department The Biology component of the Pre-Entry * Forestry and fuelwood Science Course contains a number of environ- * Land use and soil erosion: mental aspects within its Ecology Units (which * Veld products In total covers about 40% of the curriculum). Apart from a basic introduction to ecology, there In forestry and fuelwood, attempts are made are three major ecological problem areas focused to study the availability of wood from natural upon: woodland, the production rates of indigenous trees in natural woodland and under coppice " Population growth (modelling of expenential management in plantations, aspects governing growth, comparing growth patterns oi differ- the germination establishment of indigenous ent organisms, various methods of estimation trees. Attention is also paid to socio-economic of population size). aspects of fuelwood consumption and trade. " Vegetation analysis on livestock range: The research on landuse and soil erosion carrying capacity, stocking rates of grazing focuses on vailous aspects of landuse such as the land and effect of overstocking, distribution of land for arable farming grazing, " The ecosystem concept (food chains and the impact of the expansion of grazing activities webs, energy flow and nutrient cycling, on the environment in West Ngamiland In the simple stability considerations, mans' inter- late seventies, the impact of fuelwood harvesting ference with ecosystems; using Botswana on the the woodland in the Dukwe settlement. examples such as pollution of fresh water In addition to these, the focus has been ex ecosystems and the Okavango. panded to Include studies on biological means of combating soil erosion by water and wind. In addition, each year students carry out In the field of veld products, a major study major projects within the Language and Study has been undertaken on the production ecology Skills (LSS) component of PESC assisted by other of the Grapple plant and the socio-economic sections. These constitute a major part of the aspect of the trade In Grapple products. The LSS curriculum and extend over a period of study aimed at developing harvesting methods about 2 months. Students are offered a choice of for the Grapple plant on a sustainable basis to about 20 topics of a 'Science and Society' nature harvest of the plant and thereby ensure and and many of them have a pronounced environ- safeguard a sustainable Income for the rural mental education aspect. population In Kgalagadl. The suggestions devel Examples of the 1991 topics are The Sua Pan oped from this study are presently implemented Environmental Education 128 by Thusano Lefatsheng a non-profit making disseminating information on the environment organization for rural development, and organising field excursions, speakers and debates. They recently organised a panel discus Environmental education content in other sion - on the 'Dredging of the Okavango' which faculties is one of the more controversial environmental The Department of Mathematics and Science Issues in Botswana. Education Is at present looking into ways of Of late, the group has been addressing the incorporating environmental education into its questions of environmental pollution, resources various programmes. In addition, the Depart- conservation and recycling. In co-operation with ment of Languages and Social Science Education the Student Representative Council, the Envi (LSS)teaches the following topics In undergradu- ronmental Conservation Society successfully ate programmes which involve environmental managed to persuade the UB administration to issues. declare Wednesday 25th September 1991 a 'clean-up day'. This is a healthy and positive * Population step towards achieving a cleaner and a better * Resources and economy quality Gaborone environment. * Settlement There are some individuals within and out * Political geography side the University who are at present working • Energy resources very hard to establish a National Environment Mining across the globe Group whose key aim would be to monitor and • Cattle industry protect the environment. The group hopes to work hand in hand with members of the Envi The LSS Department also offer an MEd degree ronmental Liaison Group and to fill gaps wihere including the following components: there other groups are not operating. Botswana's urban environment is a relatively new phenom " The nature of environmental education and enon and there are many environmental prob the relationship with environmental problems which have beset It. The major problem lems In Botswana. which confront Botswana's urban centres are " The place of the environment in relation to littering and pollution i.e improper waste dis the Social Studies curriculum. posal. There is a clear need for more recycling " Environmental probleos In Botswana such as and better resource conservation. The group the natural environmental problems, man- hopes to address all these issues. made envIronmental problems both rural Another objective is to encourage the adop and urban tion and effective Implementation of legislation " Policies for action in Botswana Africa and the and policies which promote environmentally rest of the world. sound technologies, resource utilization and waste disposal practices. For example, drinks can Emphasizing the multi-discip!Inary approach ring pulls have been banned In many parts of to environmental education, th., Departments of Europe and North America because they are a Environmental Science and Larguages and threat to small children and animals but the Social Science Education are currently involved same companies are manufacturing cans with in a discussion to start a Masters' programme in ring pulls In countries like Botswana, apparently Environmental Education. This course is mainly for advertisement purposes. The group hopes to designed for secondary school teachers who lobby legislators to abolish ring pulls. have in the past applied for the MSc in Environ- At the moment, Metal Box Botswana is mental Planning currently offered by the De- recycling cans but for every 850-900 cans It pays partment of Environmental Science. AMasters only 80 thebe. This rcward is just too low and programme in Environmental Education is a key the group hopes to encourage Government or a developrrent because it will foster inter-depart- donor to match Metal Box thebe by thebe. This mental teaching between University depart- would be an effective remedy to clean up our ments. env!ronment. The group intends to encourage good management and give advice on methods Extra-curricular initiatives of waste disposal. At the moment the City There are various initiatives by individuals or Council is crude dumping at Gaborone dump groups who are striving for a better quality with Ilitle management. Sanitary landfill is a environment and sensible use of resouices. better alternative which will leave our environ Within the University there is a student envi- ment In a much safer condition. ronment group known as the 'Environmental Environmental education Is a multi-discipli Conservation Society'. This group was formed nary subject dnd aspects should be taught by four years ago and they have been !nvolved in several different departments. Man Is part of the 129 ANational Planning Conference environment and therefore should exist in The goal is to produce a better, healthier and harmony with his surroundings. If we do not friendlier World. Therefore I would like the behave in an environmentally friendly manner, Conference to adopt the statement from the we could destroy our very existence. All Univer- final report of the Tbilisi conference in 1987 sity students should be taught about the envi- that ronment and the Importance of taking care of it; "Environmental education must be regarded whether they be Chemists, Biologists, Histori- as a pernanent process in which Individuals and ans, Managers or Administrators, their actions the community gain awareness of their environ and way of life have an impact on the environment and acquire the knowledge, values, ment. skills All citizens should be targeted for envi- and determination which will enable them to ronmental awareness programmes to change act Individually and collectively to solve present their way of life. Those responsible for decision- and future environmental problems." making at whatever level should always consider the environment as their main priority.

Environmental Education 130 Curriculum flexibilityand environmental education T T Mokoena Dean ofthe Faculty ofScience, Universityof Botswana

Introduction choose. In the third place it can be character I have redefined my terms of reference as ised as seeking practical solutions to our envi stated In the title suggested by the organisers ronmental problems. In other words---every and In a very simple way have tried to indicate a person who has benefitted from proper environ possible model by which environmental educa- mental education should be in a position to tion could be introduced into the curricula of articulate practical solutions to problems of the the University of Botswana. In a broader more environment. Finally, and perhaps very obvi general sense the model provides guidelines for ously, it Involves everybody, man, woman, in the integration of environmental education child, professional, non-professional-all people in the tertiary level curricula of Botswana's in all sectors. educational system, be it at the Polytechnic, What struck me about this working defini University or College of Agriculture. The pres- tion, was that it links up with a planning confer entation focuses on a specific and rather re- ence which was held only in June of this year on stricted area of implementation rather than on 'Basic Education in Botswana' as a follow up to the formulation or articulation of a policy of the 'World Conference on Education For All' environmental education. It actually presup- held in Thatiand In 1990. Here, in June of 1991, poses something which does not exist since participants v:ere grappling with the notion of there is as yet no national policy on environ- 'basic education' and its essential components. mental education. This is why we are gathered Before going further, I'll share with you a very here to start working towards it. So in thinking brief summary of the backbone of basic educa about curricula flexibility one Istaking a leap tion as understood !n Botswana. into the unknown, and it isther fore under- At the end of the conference, essentially standable that it isdifficult to give anything but three notions were reaffirmed. First, the confer a brief presentation. It is also a restricted treat- ence accepted Article I of the World Declaration ment because obviously very Important areas of from Thailand in 1990 which said that basic the primary and the secondary school curricu- education Isdefined as encompassing the basic lum are omitted, nor Isit In my brief to consider learning needs of all human beings. It also the non-formal sector. reaffirmed the 1977 Government Paper No. 1 indicating that basic education in the formal Environmental education and basic sector in Botswana isthe first nine years of education school. One aspect of basic education to note in I begin with the commonly accepted defini- passing was that it should endow people with tion of environmental education which origi- the capacity for productive partidpation In the nated at the TIbilisi Conference in 1987 "a world of work. permanent process in which individuals and the The second major resolution was that the community gain awareness of their environ- appropriate institutional framework must be ment and acquire the knowledge, values, skills, provided and Institutional components co experience and also the determination which ordinated to ensure that learners can progress will enable them to act-individually and through the system. There then followed a third collectively-to solve present and future envi- and embracing statement that basic education Is ronmental problems." the right of every Motswana, (the Conference Looking at the definition one first should noted that the disabled tended not to receive identify the prime characteristics of environ- adequate attention, and made specific reference mental education. First of all there isthe funda- to them). What Isstriking is the fact that there mental assumption that it is a lifelong process. was no specific reference or even fleeting refer Secondly, it can be looked at as being either ence to environmental education In the whole Inter- or multidisciplinary, and that Istied to conference. Yet environmental education in the delivery mode that you will ultimately terms of the agreed definition must be an essen

131 A National Planning Conference tial component of basic education, fore, within the education delivery system of the When a national policy on environmental Faculty Education it is just the Primary Educa education Is being formulated, the high level tion Department which teaches aspects of the participants of the June conference will need environment. convincing that environmental education Ironically, at Bachelors level in the BEd should be worked Into the concept of basic Science, there is a deliberate policy education. preventing In other words, it is important to students taking environmental link In environmental education science as a at the policy teaching subject alongside education In years 3 level to become an essential part of the fabric of and 4. Students can only take It in year 2 as a the educational system. filler. Nonetheless they do have a course offered on Environmental education the education side called 'Man Resources and at tertiary level the Environment' but that is just one environ Returning to the definition of environmental mental course in the whole of the three year education the next step is to move on to the olfc...n. 1,h othei Sc,-ncc iducation degree essential content of environmental education at listed (BEd Sci Ed) is an in-service degree and tertiary level. First it of all, to be able to arrive at a offers the same course, 'Man Resources policy on environmerntal and the education, there would Environment'.Lastly, in adult education, need to be research which done into existing environ- has some very interesting courses regarding mental studies in order to inform the policy curriculum development, there is no mention of makers themselves about the nature of environ- the environment. mental education. The second area which will Turning to the Faculty of Science, our lead have to be addressed by tertiary level institu- department there is the Environmental Science tions is the crucial area of the training of teach- Department. The MSc in Environmental Plan ers in environmental education since they form ning has been covered earlier by Mr Totolo and the essential part of the feedback loop into the he has already mentioned the specific course in school system. This will be the concern of the Biology. teacher educators. Then there is the technical/ Physics has applied physics option, offering technological area addressed by earlier speakers. three courses, which have environmental com Then there is the area of specialism called Envi- ponents. Embedded in the Biology component ronmental Science; the area that we habitually of the Pre-Entry Science Course is a Science and associate with tf e endeavours of our colleagues Society section which deals with the topics in such Environmental Science (Geography) and as pollution and population. Biology departments. Looking briefly at other Faculties: in the If we look at the implications of some of the Humanities, it is only when students come in policies, the legal aspects of environmental contact with Environmental Science (which is policy also need to be ckvered, so that a Depart- taught across the Faculty) that we see any indi ment of Law for example, should not feel Itself cation that they are aware of their actual envi immune to considering environmental issues. ronment. In th, Social Sciences, the two Masters The economics of environment are also impor- degree programmes make no reference specifi tant, and then of course in classical physics, cally to the environment. Tne LLB programme topics such as renewable energy. This is not an again makes no reference to matters environ exhaustive list, but picks out key players in order mental nor do the BCom the Bachelor of Social to indicate that environmental education should Work or the BA Humanities. This concludes a permeate the fabric of all the conventional quick survey of the programmes on offer. disciplines. The current Curricula flexibility-thevarious options situation at the University of In addressing curricula flexibility, Botswana Ithought it would be useful to mention what system UB In addressing curricula in tertiary level insti- uses for delivering environmental education at tutions I have decided to focus on the environ- present. The University uses what is termed the ment that I know best which is the university. "subject system". Examined more carefully, Consulting the University Calendar I first looked there are aspects of it that are different at the two Faculties from the expected to be involved in classical subject system, but it is characterised environmental courses; by namely Education and teaching being done within the confines Science. Starting of a with the MEd programme discipline and these are the conventional which has a host of specialisations disci from adult plines as we know them-Biology, Physics. This education through to religious education, only means that there Is little scope for the cross the primary education MEd specialisation has a disciplinarity that we have already seen is one of small reference to enviromental matters in one the hallmarks of environmental education. To particular elective half-course. Currently there- be more accurate, I should indicate to you that Environmental Education 132 the way we actually run our subject system in groups as people fine-tune their career options. this university is less inflexible than the descrip- The question asked at the time was whether the tion that I have given. In practice, the definition country had reached a stage of development of a subject can be broad-for example the where one could justify that degree of fine tun subject 'chemistry' is made up not only of the ing beyond the irreducable core. In fact It was normal conventional chemistry but also In- felt necessary to move to the present subject cludes a biochemistry course. This is a legacy of system. the earlier system we used to have which had lasted about a decade until academic year 1979/ Evaluation of the status of environmental 1980-the 'Course Unit System'. That is often education at UB and future prospects called the North American system, while the I now look briefly at how successful we have subject system is the conventional British ap- been In our environmental education offerings proach. I say 'conventional' because I happen to at the University to date. The Inflexibility of the be somebody who studied under a unit system subject system aside, my assessment is that the in a British university, but this was regarded as a UB record in this area has been at best patchy. strange novelty. The Faculty of Science is most clearly Identified With the course unit system students are as partidpating in environmental education, in allowed more flexibility of choice comparable to the spedalist sense already indicated. The a 'supermarket of subjects'. There are usually Faculty of Education has nodded in that direc constraints: they require prerequisite qualification, given the couple or so courses lodged in tions and in certain cases if it felt pedagogically degree programmes; even then those are the important, another subject can be defined as a degree programmes which tend to be closer to co-requisite. In order to satisfy the fundamental the sciences. Furthermore, there is no indica requirement of most universities that their tion within the institution of an underlying products should emerge with an identifiable skill environmental education theme or commit in a certain discipline, in a course unit system ment--except historically a Geography Depart there is a certain irreducable core of units which ment which was renamed Environmental Sd must be taken In order to meet the minimum ence. qualification for majoring in a particular subject. There are various reasons for the low profile In principle, provided the students have the of environmental education. First of all, as qualifications, they could 'pick off the shelf', but indicated earlier, there is no national policy on there was a constraint that certain course units environmental education and therefore no perhaps a minimum of 24 out of 36 were spec- university policy either. Even without a univer fled. The Course Unit System enabled some sity policy, a national one could have been a students in Science in years gone by to study a guiding light. Secondly, the whole question of second language alongside their chemistry environmental awareness is seen by many as a courses. fashionable area; donors are throwing money at Under the subject system the advantage is the environment (and gender issues; so an that the product has acquires a skill in a well environmentally and gender oriented researcher defined area. Secondly this is cost effective seems assured of project money). At the Univer because all people who do chemistry will do one sity there is an old fashioned, conventional set of courses, and therefore rather less Is spent attitude which characterises many of the admin on the degree programme. The advantage of the istrators and staff themselves. There Is as yet no course unit system is its inherent flexibility: in a real awareness of the all pervasive nature of situation where one is moving towards multi or environmental education In its proper sense in inter-disciplinarity, it is the answer provided the terms of the definition earlier. Further, the fundamental issue of a certain core, a body of subject delivery is run in the conventional study is contained within the eventual subject, disciplines so there Is no day-to-day encourage be it biogeography or whatever. ment to look beyond some of these conven The disadvantages which were perceived tional boundaries - between for example, Law within this University at that time were the and Chemistry. But that having been said, the emergence of what could be called a 'supermar- University is beginning to move in the direction ket type of graduate'-they've got everything of delivering environmental education with the but are nothing; there was no focus. The second Faculty of Education taking the lead. criticism was that It was a rather expensive: a If we are to offer environmental education first world way of organisingr subject material characterised by those hallmarks indicated because if somebody is allowed to take quantum earlier, there are three models through which it chemistry, while another takes quantum phys- can be achieved-these I call the options. The ics, then there must be lecturers who are ready first or 'top down' approach is where you decide and available to undertake the teaching of small that there will be compulsory courses in envi

133 ANational Planning Conference ronmental education delivered by environmen- Conclusions tal education specialists - the 'inter-disciplinary To close Ihave some suggestions which relate approach'. The second option is what I call the specifically to the Introduction of horizontal environmen or sideways approach where concepts tal education Into the curriculum of the Univer of environmental education are woven into your sity and some more general points. own subjects; Ibelieve we thus environmental issues are should start out by using option 3 - a blend of delivered within the subject areas-the 'multi- inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary ap disciplinary' approach. The third option is a proaches. At the undergraduate level this is blend of the two where the vertical approach is workable, and not too revolutionary, and will used but In selected key areas which overlap. I get things moving in the right direction. To associate options 1 and 3 with what I would call focus on key areas, then teacher education Is a course unit system and option 2 the UB semi- critical, both pre-service and in-service. We flexible subject system, but this is still possible should also pick out and develop a specialist under a conventional subject system. area at the interface of the work This of the Science is not the first time that the University Departments associated with the environment has had to consider 'new' subjects or 'new' ways and also use the Masters in environmental of looking at a discipline. For example, English education to research into the teaching ap and Study Skills is offered across the university proaches In both these areas. In time, as an because it Is felt to be an essential to develop the ideal, the University should learning move towards skills of students. In addition, it has option 2-the multi-disciplinary approach recently embarked on computer awareness and where elements of environmental education are computing courses which sweep across the woven into every course as staff take on the university and has recently been addressing the same concern for the planet. whole question of gender issues university-wide. At a national level we should use this confer Two courses recently-the BEd Nursing and a ence to create the framework for formulating the Bachelor of Social Work also have essential national policy on environmental education. components drawn from other disciplines. There will be a need for much more consultative On the basis of these experiences I conclude work beyond conference itself to that we could produce the learn the following lessons: when strategy which will eventually mirror a policy there Is the need to introduce a new way of such as the NCS. But that doesn't prevent the teaching or a 'new' subject, policy guidelines are tertiary sector moving towards that goal; organ necessary. Secondly, it is crucial to 'reach and ising awareness workshops and using other brainwash' the people who matter. Thirdly, as means to awaken the teaching and administra witnessed when nursing education and social tive staff of our institutions to the importance work tried to start of on a grand scale (and to some environmental education. After that, one Is extent with computer awareness), it's best to then in a stronger position to institutionalise start out the on a small scale. Last but not least, It is new philosophies whatever the institution Important to monitor and evaluate closely, concerned.

Environmental Education 134 The role of Government departments in non-formal environmental education Mr SSekhobo AdultEducation Officer, Department ofNon-Formal Education, MinistryofEducation

Introduction both at the national and local levels. However, I For the purpose of this discussion I shall start hope that these guidelines will be specified and by defining the concept non formal education operationalised to form part of the recommen as 'any organised educational activities outside dations which will be presented later during the the formal education system that are intended course of this conference. to serve identifiable learning needs of particular The successful management of the environ sub groups in the community, be they children, ment depends upon the co-operation of various youths or adults.' Government departments, NGOs and Informed This is an all embracing definition covers the citizens acting either individually or collectively. work of the Department of Non Formal Educa- Intelligent and effective citizen participation In tion (DNFE) as well as that of other departments environmental conservation requires knowledge and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from the sciences, social science and humanities. that provide programmes which are meant to It further requires the development of practical meet specific needs of individuals, communities skills which can assist people to live in a manner and the nation as a whole. Thus defined, non which enhances environmental quality and formal education includes, for example, agricul- reduced environmental degradation. Environ tural extension and farmer training pro- mental education must be envisaged as a life grammes, adult literacy, youth clubs, and vari- long process and consequently non formal ous community programmes of instruction in environmental education Isof the utmost health, nutrition, and family planning. importance in creating a society whose citizens It is at this juncture that Ishall explain in are knowledgeable enough to make a valid brief the duties of the DNFE to clear the miscon- contribution to the decision making process. ception that the DNFE is the sole provider of non formal education in this country. As a The role of Government departments in matter of fact DNFE Is operating two compo- non-formal environmental education nents of the non formal education system and The nature and dimensions of environmental these are the National Literacy Programme and problems facing Botswana are such that they the Distance Education Programme. In fact non impinge on a whole range of social and eco formal education with its wide scope and large nomic development activities. This is true target audience is a fertile and promising field especially concerning the areas of natural re for fulfilling the purpose of inculcating aware- source utilisation and conservation whose ness, knowledge, skills, commitments and responsibilities fall within the jurisdiction of actions on the part of lndividt'als and groups for departments represented in this conference. For the protection and improvemP,.lt of the environ- example, the core of the agricultural strategy are ment and its quality for the prsent and future efforts to explore resources without causing long generations, term damage. Similarly, the wildlife utilization The development of non formal environmen- strategy emphasises careful management in view tal education requires the incorporation of of the heavy demands on the life support eco environmental education objectives, concepts, system dictated by the widespread and nredomi teaching methods and evaluation techniques nant wildlife. into all processes of the non formal education The basic tenet of the policy on energy is the system. In order to facilitate the development of envisaged reduction in deforestation caused by non formal environmental education in this the indiscriminate and excessive collection of country, it is essential to develop some guide- firewood. lines to serve as a discussion guide particularly With respect to the mining industry and in this conference In which key personnel shall infrastructural development, it has to be borne be focusing on the task of how to environ- in mind and appreciated that there are con mentalize their non-formal eduction structure straints of a serious and long term nature, 135 ANational Planning Conference because of the finite and non renewable nature Education in Botswana is dispensed through of the basic natural resources Involved as well as three basic modes of informal, formal and non the Implications of their utilization on the formal. environment. Batswana learn primarily from day to The utilization of minerals must day experiences and from of necessity be guided the multitude of by careful planning and educative forces Including the foresight, so that the family and neigh benefits to be gained from bours, at work and through religious them can be stretched to activities, the maximum possible at the market place, at the kgotla, through extent without the unnecessary waste and newspapers, books, radio broadcasts and the fork destruction, media. This The mode of learning Iswhat Isreferred discussion of the conservation of natural to as Informal education. resources In Botswana Non formal education without specific reference in this country is mainly concerned to water would no doubt with the be Incomplete. This is provision of part time and largely voluntary especially true because of the scarcity and di- education minishing for the out of school youth and adults nature of water resources In the who have not country. had the benefit of formal educa tion. The formal mode of learning As a matter Isthe most of fact the National Policy on familiar education system. Natural Resources Conservation and Develop ment stipulates five main environmental prob- Taret groups lems/issues for non formal which form the basis of develop- environmental education ment programmes and activities mandated to It has to be reiterated that conservation most of Government departments of represented the natural resources is the responsibility of here. These to a large extent require solutions every citizen and non citizen of this country and through the non formal environmental educa- that a proper tion understanding of the environment strategy and the five main problems/issues should be regarded are as follows: as part of the essential survival tool to be possessed by every Motswana. The worth " The growing pressure and effectiveness of a well designed on water resources non formal environmental education resulting from increases pro in population, gramme would be its latitude to urbanisation and development, accommodate the needs, interests, background, mental devel * The degradation of rangeland pasture re- opment sources and receptiveness of the particular due to a variety of management and target group for whom other factors. it is intended. Thus the main target groups for the non " The depletion of wood formal environ resources due to mental education programme in commercial harvesting Botswana could of forests and as the fall into the following broad categories: main source of domestic fuel In most ments. settle Wood harvesting has been largely • Political and traditional undertaken authorities and In an uncontrolled manner, development workers " An over-use or exploitation of some veld e Youths products who have never been to school such as fruits, fungi, tubers etc. a Primary and secondary " Pollution education drop-outs of air, water, soil and vegetation or new readers and/or resources. participants In the As a result human life support National Literacy systems In both Programme urban and rural environ- 9 Adults who have passed through ments the formal are affected. education sector e Adults who have never attended Environmental education and public not school or do understanding posses any literacy skills; and * Special groups such as grass cutters, wood It seems evident that lack of awareness of cutters, hunters, environmental traditional doctors and other problems facing Botswana poses groups who gather natural an even resources for more formidable obstacle and challenge commercial purposes to achieving natural resources conservation. There is every reason to believe that a significant Institutional machinery for achieving non number of people (especially in the rural areas) formal environmental are not education aware or have not perceived the immi- The greatest challenge nent dangers arising for achieving non from environmental degra- formal environmental education dation and the consequent lies in the non loss of productivity formal sector where the target groups In the face of rapidly growing human consist of popula- large numbers of illiterate or semi literate adults, tion. In the process, ecosystems and species are many of them being working on the land, who are destroyed because people do not see that already set in their it is their traditional ways and atti best and long term Interest not to tudes. However, the destroy them. DNFE has through its National Literacy Programme embarked on Environmental Education 136 incorporating environmental education through public. The publication is distributed to all its functional literacy. For example, the teach- primary schools in the country and to other Ing-learning process in the National Literacy relevant establishments. Museum displays are Programme is undertaken In the context of another way of disseminating information to developmental issues of relevance to partid- the public and consdentizing people on envi pants. The content of the primers and follow-up ronmental issues. booklets is thus built around problems identified in district plans and based on social, cultural Conclusion and economic Issues taking into account envi- The need for environmental education is ronmental differences. Learning groups fal'- illustrated In the review of the main environ tated by group leaders engage in discussions mental problems highlighted in this paper. based on key words such as leuba (drought) Population pressures, rising energy consump dikgong (firewood) metsi (water) lema (plough), tion, resource depletion, pollution and ecosys malele (littering) and so on. The result will tern degradation are all indicative of the need to therefore be the acquisition of both literacy and alter our exploitative attitude towards the envi other survival skills as well as the stimulation of ronment. The role and strength of non formal critical consciousness about essential social education lie in the fact that it does not operate issues, such as usage of such resources as trees within a given set of rules with a strict structure, and water and so on. curriculum and examination procedures. At least Another Government department whose role theoretically, non formal environmental educa in environmental education can be cited is the tion is more capable of responding to local National Museum. Although its provision of environmental issues which have more social environmental education is quasi-formal in that meaning and usefulness to the community and it is mostly targeted to school children in is less dominated by academic requirements. schools, the mobile service of the Museum However, one of the major problems envisaged during its visits to various parts of the country in the effective implementation of non formal shows environmental educative films to the environmental education is the diversity of the communities in the evenings. The museum target groups and their needs. Other problems publication called the Zebra's voice is biannually include the lack of finance and structure published as another means of disseminating through which environmental concepts can be environmental and cultural information to the developed.

137 ANational Planning Conference The role of the media in environmental education T Mbuya Editor, Mmegi

I have been asked to speak on the 'role of the oped that we resort to foreign sources of infor media In environmental education'. In my matlon which have little or no relevance at all attempt to address this Issue I will give an to our immediate assessment needs. Even if there was a way of our performance, presently, as the to generate Information local media in about the environment disseminating news about the locally there would still environment and be the problem of how then suggest what the local to get it down to the ordinary media could do to be more effective man in the street in their in the absence of such communication systems. endeavour to Inform the public about the Given environment, these limitations what is the local media doing to promote Botswana, like other public awareness about developing countries, the environment presently? Since has limited channels of communication. I am a news There paper man I will confine myself to the print are only seven newspapers in the whole country. media. The All of common mistake that both media them are based in Gaborone. Only one of critics and readers them, the Daily In general make is to think News, enjoys a wide circulation that just because a particular and can reach newspaper does the remotest of settlements in the not have a page sluglined countryside. The rest 'Environment' or are 'town and big village' 'Greens' at the top then it means newspapers. Out of the five only one our newspa Isbilin- pers do no report on the environment. No. That gual. The rest use English only. is not The true. situation is even worse in the electronic I do not want media. There Isonly to get into the intricacies of one radio station. It can defining the concept of 'environment'. not be picked up in some parts of the I think country there are people here who are more well dis even though it issupposed to be the most posed to do that than I am. However, I believe accessible medium In the rural areas where the the phenomenon education of environment touches on need is greatest. Instead people there just about every listen to aspect of human life. Mankind foreign radio stations which are easier himself is but part to pick up of his own environment. where they are. There isno local TV Almost always there station. We watch is an environmental angle CNN, Bop TV, M-Net and to stories on health, Industry, SABC. While these entertainment, stations provide us with agriculture, crime, etc. When valuable Information about addressing a what is happening Union of African Journalists (UAJ) conference in the International scene they are in not relevant Cairo, Egypt, last year, UNEP's Executive Direc to our society's Immediate needs at least In tor, Dr Mustapha terms Tolba said: "For many Africans of environmental awareness. safeguarding the CNN persistently environment isa matter of tells us about dying animals sheer survival. In Sub Sahazdn In the Gulf seas as a result Africa in particu of this and that oil lar people do not need to be told about slick when our immediate concern the link here is the between poverty and environmental degrada desert which is encroaching deeper into our tion-they rangelands. experience it day In and day out". SABC bothers us about the pollution That notwithstanding of water sources in it istrue that our the Witwatersrand by the newspapers are far from doing mining industry there and enough by way of says nothing about disseminat!ng Information on the the thousands of Batswana environment. starving as a result of Without trying to justify this the drought. And we listen unfortunate state to Bop TV praising of affairs I must say there are various President Lucas Mangope for killing reasons donkeys in why this Isso. Firstly, many editors do not their homeland to curb overgrazing when here believe we are troubled that an environmental story is a 'big' by the uncontrollable large herd story. 'he newspaper Industry, of elephants which like any other are destroying our fragile business, Isthere to make profit. ecosystem in the In order to north-west, make profit a newspaper should The point that I am sell so that it trying to make here Is can attract advertisers. Serious stories, that the media In Botswana is so underdevel- as most environmental stories tend to be, do not sell a

Environmental Education 138 newspaper easily. Of course the only exception, problems that local reporters are facing in their in Botswana, so far was the 'Dredging of the coverege of news on the environment. Okavango' saga. It was a serious environment The picture painted above mny give the story and It sold newspapers! Impression that the situation is a helpless one. Th- second problem emanates from the fact The contrary is true. It Is encouraging to note that even when an effort is made to report on that editors of our newspapers are beginning to the environment, the message cannot reach realise that the 'environment' is a big story. many people because the newspapers are written Environmental Issues are gradually moving from In English. The people who should be the target the Inside pages of the newspapers to the front of such information do not benefit fron. it page. This is the trend world wide. This Is due to because they do not know English. The mistake the growing Interest that the public take In that our newspapers nake Isto write for the environmental issues. An international poll urban educated Motswana and then attempt to conducted in 16 countries for the United Na sell their product to a Motswana in the country- tions Environment Programme (UNEP) last year side. We are cheating ourselves. If indeed we are revealed mounting concern for the global envi in the business of news reporting to inform the ronment among a vast majority of people of public then we should st-ive to reach out to the developed and developing countries. The same most disadvantaged of our pcople as much as we applies to Botswana. possibly can. The majority of these people are in It would help if organisations could hold the countryside and most of them can speak seminars and workshops to acquaint journalists only one language-the local language. I am with the latest environmental Information. The pleased to report hat my own newspaper, local journalists association, BOJA, in conjunc Mmegi, devotes a full page exclusively to news tion with Panos, held a media workshop on the on environment in Setswana once in every environment last June in Maun. It was an eye month. We wish others could do the same. opener for the local journalists who attended It. The third constraint is that those institutions Since that workshop there is a considerable :i the country which deal directly with environ- improvement in coverage of the environment ment type issues keep away from the media, both in terms of space, prominence and quality These include Government departments as well of newsreporting. Of course it is not enough. But as non governmental organisations. Even a firm foundation has been laid. though one of the qualities of a good reporier is It emerged at the Maun workshop that there to 'have a nose for news', surely we cannot sniff were certain Issues that the local media consid out everything even when It is hidden from us. ered to be priority environmental Issues for The media needs the support of these organisa- Batswana. There was consensus that it is the tions to be able to promote public awareness on local environmental concerns that needed to be environment. The media is the most effective given priority in oui newspapers. The public channel to carry this important message across should be taught about desertification, pollu to those who need it. We could be used -s a tion, conservation, soil erosion, sanitation etc, vehicle to impart environmental education to things which they can see, feel and experience the public on behalf of these organisations at no in their daily lives. Dr Mustapha Tolba expressed cost to them! the same sentiment at the Cairo conference Lastly, I believe it is fair to say that some about what he considered to be pertinent envi environmental topics are complex and techni- ronmental issues to Africans. He said: "Africans cal. Journalists lack training in tackling some want to know about what is the best kind of tree environmental issues. They are not scientists or to plant; which crops will best improve the even historians for that matter. Reporters are fertility of soil; and how can firewood be burnt communicators. They thr.'ve on information most efficiently". This may sound simplistic. But which they get from sources who are in the it is true. The point that he was making Is that know. One may be keen to write about a topic the media should be sensitive to the pressing but due to his limited knowledge in that field needs of their communities. fail to do a good job. It is in such cases that the By looking after their immediate environ cooperation of those conversant with these ment Batswana could contribute to the protec issues should be prepared to help. But how tion of the global environment. As one partici many times has a reporter been turned away by pant succinctly put it at the Maun Conference: an 'expert'? Many times. The annoying thing is 'We should teach our people to act locally and that the same 'expert' complains about 'the poor think globally'. For instance If farmers In the quality of our newspapers' when the article does countryside do not burn the bush they lessen not measure up to standard. Of course in some the amount of carbon dioxide, which Is a green cases It is the reporter himself who was lazy not house gas, in the atmosphere. If members of a to do his homework. These are some of the particular community In Botswana do not cut 139 A National Planning Conference down trees indiscriminately then they are cannot help us reach our helping to curb the expanding desired goal-that of desert which is informing in order to influence threatening to engulf attitudes. If we the whole subcontinent of use rhetorical language, Southern Africa. no matter how good and well researched It Is therefore important our articles can be, readers that before our would be switched off. And newspapers can tell the public if that happens then how chloro- we would have failed as communicators fluorocarbons in our destroy the ozone layer, and how duty greenhouse gases to Inform. cause global warming, which I would like might sound too to conclude my presentation abstract and unreal to them, with Tolba's words they should at the UAJ conference in address the simple and easy to Cairo last understand year referred to above. He said: "From issues to which our communities the big political can relate, story to the human interest columns, no opportunity should In this vein an effective be missed to way to get through communicate the gravity to the audience is to concentrate of the environmental on the 'human crisis and, more to the point, interest' what can be done angle in a story. People like reading about it". about people and how they cope with problems. Yes local journalists have the We should write about the success responsibility to stories of keep the public fully informed about farmers and women In the countryside the state of in safe- their environment and to provide alternative guarding the environment. In other words we models of development where it is feasible - should not be patronising, ie always trying to thereby encouraging authorities to see the need show them that they are not doing the right for urgent action to safeguard the environment thing and this is how they should do It. Such and its natural resources. This is the experiences can Inspire others challenge that there is a before all media workers in Botswana-journal great deal that Batswana can do for themselves ists, columnists and cartoonists alike. to escape the downward spiral of environmental decline. As It does that the media should be careful References not to project the people as the 'problem' Development the 'obstacle', Forum, Vol 19, No 3, May-June and the 'threat' in environmental 1991. Publi:hed management. by United Nations Depart ment of Public Information. Related to this Is the use of easy to under- The African Journalist (Bound stand language. Media Volume) 1990, A workers are communica- Union of African Journalists -ors. publication, For them to reach out to their audience and Cairo be effective they need to use 'down to earth Pacific News Service, language' September 9-13, 1991, San which can be understood by young Francisco. and old alike. If it can be helped language Fina-tcial Mail, October 4, should not be a barrier in communication, 1991. 'The Future of our environment'. 5. Mmegi 21-27 June Reporters should get into the habit of carefully 1991. 'Media Workshop on Environment and selecting easy and familiar words instead of Development'. using superfluous and flowery jargon whic:i

Environmental Education 140 Guidelines for developing non-formal environmental education programmes U Carlsson JuniorProfessionalOfficer, United Nations Environment Programme

Yesterday, Ifinished my address by claiming interested in being addressed or they may not that if we are to be able to live in a more envi- consider the environment something worth ronmental friendly way and to develop resources considering. Choosing your target group Isvery In a sustainable way, we must be environmen- important. For example, women often make a tally literate. All of us must be environmental responsive target group. Somebody said, Ifyou education literate from the decision makers to educate a man you educate one person, but If the workers and right down to the youngest part you educate a woman you educate a whole of the population. To be able to reach the family. Who ever you target, if you can reach a whole of the population, we need a non-formal well defined target group that is willing to or out-of-school approach in addition to the participate in a well organised project then a formal curriculum, community participation project isprobably the We can quickly see that non-formal environ- most effective form of non-formal environmen mental education has certain very positive tal education. advantages over formal environmental educa- Lectures and group discussions with adults tion. For example, there are no given rules and can be problematical. These situations can seem the subjects are not framed by a strict curricu- very like a formal school classroom and many lum. In addition, there is more flexibility to adults have bad experiences and memories of address local problems and to pick ones target their own school time and will not feel comfort group directly. able it similar situations as adults. However, there are also problems and some Wildlife clubs are becoming very popular In of these strong points are potential weaknesses. many countries such as Kenya and Botswana. For example, there is a diversity of target groups These organisations are an effective way to reach and a lack of structure. In addition, there is a young people and to enable them to learn more lack of finance, it is not centrally organised and actively about the environment. Through these it is difficult to know which is the best media to clubs they can actively participate in conserva use. tion Issues. Nature schools are an Important Broadly, non-formal environmental educa- addition to primary and secondary schools In tion can be divided into participatory and non- Europe and in North America. participatory. Participatory activities would Although non-participatory, media such as include group discussions, drama/theatre, television, radio and rewspapers should be community participation in projects, wildlife encouraged to dissemir, te information and to clubs and nature schools. Non-participatory build an educated and informed public opinion. activities would Include media, publications, They have the advantage of regularity and can press articles, exhibitions and lectures. Where offer daily or weekly programmes on environ pedagogical methods are used they should be mental Issues. They can incorporate environ the same as for formal education; methods such mental issues Into more general programmes as active learning, holistic thinking and problem and can make sure that the educational poten orientated teaching. tial of some programmes is maximised. The Let us look. at some of these examples more immediate nature of the media means current closely and at some of the problems faced in and local Lnvironmental issues can be addressed each of them. and they can encourage audience participation. I said that the educational potential of the Community Participation Projects programmes should be maximised. Let me give No matter how you address a rural or urban an example of how a multimedia approach can community in a developing or a developed help to develop the non-formal educational country, you have to study the target group first potential of programmes. In Sweden, educa to understand their level of background knowl- tional television programmes are backed up with edge. It is possible that they might not even be written educational material. In Ghana, where

141 ANational Planning Conference they have problems with bush fires, a song telephone books. It just takes someone to make about bush fires which was Initially introduced the approach to the manufacturers. In primary schools became popular and started These are just a few examples. You only need playing on the radio. The children recognised Ideas to start something. It, It became a family song and was even Intro duced on television so that children throughout Non-formal teachers Ghana could see that they were participating in The teachers working In non-formal environ a national event. mental education must be more innovative that Acostly project from Sweden shows what can the ordinary teacher. He or she cannot rely in be achieved on a nationwide basis with good proper classrooms to focus their students atten central planning. Abooklet called The Natural tion, nor can they expect classroom discipline. Step was distributed to all households In the There may also be suspicion against the teachers country with an audio-tape. At the same time, and the subject to overcome. For these reasons, schools were advised to introduce the ideas in non-formal environmental education teachers the book and tape to the children in the hope must be properly educated themselves and their that they would take the Information home and training should include the psychology group endorse the message. The Impact of such a dynamics apart from a good grounding in project Is hard to evaluate and I have not seen environmental knowledge. any results from research on this project. How- To evaluate non-formal environmental ever, It Is an Interesting idea. education to determine its efficiency is difficult, Still in Sweden, the Nature Conservation particularly to see if non-participatory methods Society, one of the largest NGOs of Sweden has have any effect on their audience. However, produced a best selling guide called Green evaluation is an important part of all education Consumer Guidelines. It contains advice on and how It is to be done must be specifically recycling and on making environmentally dqsigned into the project. friendly choices when shopping. Similar con- Finally, it is formal and non-formal working sumer guides exist In many developed countries together which will create a public opinion where consumer choices can have great impact beneficial to the development of sound environ on which industrial products are successlul. mental practises by decision makers and to a The environmental message can be spiead on general public who carries out their own envi everyday objects such as milk cartoons and ronmentally sound actions on a day to day basis.

Environmental Education 142 Non formal education evaluation M Monroe North American Association for Environmental Education

Why evaluate? Staff evaluation can be very threatening since Oz:e of the primary reasons that programmes it raises all sorts of questions in people's minds are evaluated is to prove their worth and to use such as, "What if it is not working" or Identifies that information to obtain more funding. It is staff which should be replaced. So it isvery also done to improve a facility, a programme or important as you evaluate the quality of the staff performance. programme that you involve staff in the process Typically, evaluation takes the form of staff of developing the evaluation process. And that reflection. People involved with the project ask the purpose of the evaluation is to improve the themselves and each other, "Did it work?" Or, programme. they evaluate on the basis of numbers; the numbers of people, the numbers of programmes Which people can help evaluate presented or very simply the numbers of bro- programme quality? chures takei away. Everyone involved in the progra~ame from With both of these avenues you know very the staff, the teachers to the students or target little about the quality of the programme or group can be involved in evaluating the pro whether the objectives of the programme were gramme. And what do you measure? being met. In fact, it may give you information The objectives of the programme can be that has nothing to to with the programme you examined to see whether they have been are presenting. For example, someone may have achieved, but these should not be relied on too thought that your posters would make good heavily. And definitely, evaluation should be door prizes, so they took 25 of them, or they built into the programme design. For example, may have been told that they would get funding in my programme on frogs and toads, Igave a if they came to your centre, or that they could test prioi to the programme and one after the only get transport for trips lasting less than one programme had been delivered. Ialso tested a hour, so they had to come to your location, control group who did not receive the pro Much more useful are meaningful numbers; gramme. The interview technique can be used ones which really relate to your programmne and to provide a qualitative response but the ques people's response to it. For example, the tions need to be very carefully formulated. And number of people who actullay received bro- will It be the students who have been the main chures and the numbers of people who made target of the programme who will be tested or repeat visits. In fact, it is possible to become their teachers who arranged for the programme very clever with evaluation just through some In the first place. Where the test takes the form acute observations: which litter barrels are used of multiple choice answers be sure to avoid yes/ most, which trails are most heavily used and no choices and instead ask people to rank where are the fingerprints on the glass of the answers on a 1 to 5 scale. exhibits. The subject of evaluation is a science In Itself. The precise methods you use depend on why This talk has provided a very brief overview, but you are evaluating. It Is Important to know If if you take nothing else away from it, please the programme is expanding, if you are apply!ng remember that evaluation, however Informal for more funds, so for this yzu would count the can be a valuable tool in improving your work. numbers of people attending. But to imporve staff efforts, other methods are needed.

143 A National Planning Conference The role of NGOs in non-formal environmental education P Hancock Project Officer, InternationalUnion for the Conservation ofNature

Introduction The Chobe Wildlife Trust has a full-time Environmental education is a relatively new environmental education officer operating in phenomenon in Botswana. To date, NGOs with the Chobe District, with the Chobe National an interest In the environment have acted as Park as the focus of their activities. They have catalysts an and initiated non-formal environmen- education centre in Kasane, and a mobile unit tal education programmes. These organisations which travels out in the district. include the Botswana Society, the Forestry The Forestry Association of Botswana also Association has of Botswana, the Kalahari Conserva- full-time environmental education staff, and tion Society, Thusano Lefatsheng, Wildlife Clubs concentrates Its efforts on educating of Botswana, teachers and others. and schoolchildren on the importance of trees Since the existing NGOs have their own fairly and reforestation. precise focuses, their Involvement In environ- In addition to its own environmental educa mental education has been similarly narrow. A tion programme, aimed at decision-makers, matrix the showing major environmental issues Kalahari Conservation Society has also sup against existing NGOs (Table 1)reveals that ported other Initiatives such as Botswana's there are key issues which are not addressed by environmental education programme and the any organisations. An analysis of the content of Association of Wildlife Clubs of Botswana, environmental education programmes con- aimed at primary and secondary school children ducted by NGOs also shows that they are gener- and teachers respectively. ally preoccupied with the cognitive domain i.e. Thusano Lefatsheng is primarily with a rural information dissemination, and the affec- development agency concerned with the com tive is largely omitted. This is possibly a factor of mercialisation of Indigenous plants; however its the newness of some of these programmes, and extension programme, which concentrates should on change In time as the programmes sustainable use of the resource, addresses aspects mature. of environmental education. Better coordination is essential if NGOs are to The Association of Wildlife Clubs of Bot Improve their role In environmental education swana has recently registered as an independent In the future. The joint development of an NGO, although it has its origin in the Depart ntegrated programme with strong lateral link- ment of Wi!dlife and National Parks over a iges, and clearly defined priorities, are vital if decade ago. The key features of the Association's 14GOs are to continue to make a cost-effective environmental education programme is that :ontribution it in this field. aims to involve the youth in practical, hands-on conservation projects. 1Jon government organisations Almost all the existing NGOs are young While this paper does not intend to dwell on organisations, which have only really embarked ndividual NGOs and their merits or otherwise, on environmental education programmes t is necessary in the at the outset to introduce those last three or four years. In addition, there are vhIch have played a significant role in environ- also a few new NGOs which will be contributing nental education to date. to this field in the future; these Include Conser The Botswana Society is one of the older vation International, IUCN Botswana, Natural 4GOs in Botswana; it has as Its objective, inter Resources Conservation Society, Tshomarelo, lia, the encouragement of interest in the fields Okavango Conservation Trust and the Tuli Lion ,f the natural sciences, especially where this Trust. Other NGOs such as the Botswana olates Coun to Botswana. The Botswana Bird Club, cil of Women and the Young Women's Chris ihich isaffiliated to the Botswana Society, is a tian Association, also have a greater contribu pecialised group dealing, as the name suggests, tion to make in this field in the future. rith birds, but as a component of a wider nvironment. ivironmental Education 144 The scope of environmental education group, but do nut have this importance ac programmes corded them by most education programmes. The National Conservation Strategy Identi fied and to an extent prioritised major environ- Educational content of programmes mental Issues In Botswana, and this forms the In addition to the above, it is the contention basis for an analysis of the scope of existing of this paper that most non-formal environmen environmental education programmes. The tal education programmes conducted by NGOs main environmental issues are pressure on water do not strike an effective balance between the resources, degradation of rangelands, depletion Psychomotor, Cognitive and Affective Domains. of wood resources, over-use of veld products, Before qualifying this statement, It may be and urban and Industrial pollution. In addition, appropriate to explain these terms in simple subsidiary issues identified during the Strategy language: formulation Include human population pres sure, depletion of wildlife and public awareness • Psychomotor--doing/action (the latter has been excluded from the analysis * Cognitive-knowing since all non-formal environmental education e Affective-understanding programmes conducted by NGOs are addressing this aspect). Bloom's hierarchy describing the relationship The matrix below illustrates at a glance that between these domains, although reductlonist there are crucial environmental Issues which are in approach, did receive a great deal of support not addressed by any of the existing NGOs. For during its time. However it Isgenerally accepted example, pressure on water resources, rangeland today that a good educational programme degradation and the overpopulation issues should contain elements of each, as is illustrated currently do not receive much attention. By below. In my opinion, there are very few non contrast, the depletion of wildlife is an issue formal environmental education programmes which is addressed by more than one NGO. currently in existence which have been con- Although not specifically illustrated in the sciously structured to include these crucial matrix, it is important to note that the man- components. For example, some of the existing made environment isvirtually totally excluded programmes are media oriented, and focus on from all existing environmental education knowledge (cognitive); knowledge alone does programmes.This exercise can be taken further not necessarily lead to action, which is usually to include specific target audiences; when this is the stated goal of environmental education done, other significant gaps become apparent. programmes. Few existing programmes provide For example, decision-makers in central and fora for discussion although this Isa method local government form a significant target which leads to better understanding of Issues

Table I shows the spectrum of issues addressed by existing environmental NGOs

Environmental NGOs issues AWCB BBS BS CWT FAB KCS TL Pressure on water resources Rangeland degradation

Deforestation Veld product exploitation

Pollution

Over-population Depletion of wildlife . .. BBC/Botswana Bird Club; BS/Botswana Society; CWT/Chobe Wildlife Trust; FAB/Forestry Associa tion; KCS/Kalahari Conservation Society; TL/Thusano Lefatsheng; WCAB/Wildlife Clubs Association of Botswana

145 ANational Planning Conference and which in turn has a greater chance of in the light of the above-mentioned findings. leading to action. Even fewer combine these Greater coordination between NGOs is with hands on experience and involvement.To essential if they are to continue to make a cost illustrate in a positive way this shortcoming of effective contribution to environmental educa environmental education programmes con- tion. Coordination should focus on the scope of ducted by NGOs, the Wildlife Clubs provide a programmes, relative to major environmental useful model: they combine knowing, feeling issues, and target audiences. Priorities should be and doing in a workable combination. They established jointly. The Environmental Liaison produce newsletters, organise lectures and film Group could be a useful forum for coordination; shows, have workshop discussions, and under- however currently it does not include all the take field excursions to national parks. In addi- environmental NGOs. tion, they undertake hands-on projects such as Finally, if NGOs wish to remain at the fore tree planting, andi-litter campaigns, and others, front of environmental education in Botswana, all of which together produce dtizens with the they will need to critically evaluate the educa correct knowledge, values and attitudes which tional content of their current programmes. To lead to environmental action. It is interesting to the best of my knowledge, none of the environ note that it is difficult in the classroom situation mental education programmes conducted by to include a balance between doing, feeling and NGOs has ever been objectively evaluated knowing; this emphasises the importance of despite the fact that critical review is the basis environmental education, and especially of for continuing improvement. These two aspects NGOs, in complementing the formal education will be addressed in other workshop sessions system with its current emphasis on "chalk and during this conference. talk". For this reason, it is all the more impor tant for NGOs to review the educational content Conclusion of their programmes, and ensure that they NGOs have played a leading role in non address the Psychomotor, Cognitive and Affec- formal environmental education to date. How tive Domains. ever this is no reason for complacency; there is room for improvement, and I hope that this The Road Ahead critical analysis of their programmes will be For NGOs to continue to make an important taken in a positive light and encourage them to contribution to environmental education in continue with their vital work. Botswana, they will need to rethink their roles

Environmental Education 146 Annex 3 Participants

S. Abram Bolkhutso Primary School G. A. J. Kerton Vocational Training Centre S. Akapelwa Ministry General Education, Gaborone Youth and Sports, Zambia P.J. Kgarebe Dept. Primary Education, MoE I. Allen Ministry of Education, Swaziland S.K.I. Khama Botswana Defence Force G. Andersson Corde L.A. King University of Zimbabwe B.Badisang Botswana National Library Service M.d. Koech Kenyatta University, Kenya B.Bimbo Tlokweng "ITC L. Kopong Dept. Teacher Education, MoE J.K. Buckley Tonota College of Education T. Kreuels Dept. Pre-Entry Science, UB Bulawa Ministry of Education l.M.Kwape Dept. Secondary Education, MoE R. Burton Botswana Technology Centre F. Leburu Curriculum Development Unit, J. Butale Dept. Primary Education, MoE MoE M. Cantrell Dept. Pre-Entry Science, UB E.Lecha Maitlamo Primary School U. Carlsson UNEP A.D. Lelliott Molepolole College of Education M. Carroll Peace Corps 0. Letebele Thusano Lefatsheng S. Colledge Kalahari Conservation Society B.N.S. Letsldidi Botswana Association Tribal Land S. Cooper Dept. Environmental Science, UB Authorities D.D. Dambe Botswana Meterological Services S.D. Liphuko Natural Resources Agency J. Davidson Tuli Lion Trust L. Lucas Newslink Africa P. Dow R. Lumbe United Nations Environmental J. M. Dubbey Botswana Polytechnic Programme, Kenya P. O. Dube Dept. Environmental Science, UB K.V.Mabatla H. Frencken UB-INSET/Dept. Maths and M. Madzette Marang Wildlife Club Science Education F. Magibisela Dept. Water Affairs, MMR&WA K. Frimpong Faculty of Social Sciences, UB G.K. Maikano Francistown TTC M.P. Glyose Matlala Secondary School P.T. Makgekgenene Information and Broadcasting W.M. Gleeson Molepolole College of Education A. Makgothl Gaborone Secondary School S.A. Goma Environmental Health Unit, Mol S.Makgothi Curriculum Development Unit, J. Gould Dept. Environmental Science, UB MoE P. Hancock IUCN S. Manchisl Botswana Polytechnic B. Hargreaves National Herbarium R. Marape Manthabakwane Primary School H. Hlongwane Dept. Primary Education, MoE D. Marsland Maun Education Centre, MoE A. Horan Ministry of Education M. E.K. Masisi Curriculum Development Unit, M. Hosty Clifton School, Francistown MoE S. Hughes National Museum J. Matthiessen Tlokweng TrC M. Hulela Dept. Secondary Education, MoE K. Mautle Lobatse Education Centre, MoE N. Hunter Dept. Wildlife & National Parks, F.M. Mawela Dept. Secondary Education, MoE MCI M. Mbaakanyl Molepolole College of Education G. Johnson Dept. Language and Social T. Mbuya Botsw. Journalist Ass. Sciences, UB M Mc Kenzie Maru-a-Pula School F.Johnstone Thusano Lefatsheng D. McColaugh Dept. Primary Education, MoE M.F. Katse Dept. Primary Education, MoE AJ.N. Mlauzi Dept. Primary Education, MoE C.M.C. Kealolswe North West District Council Mmualefe St. Joseph's College K. I'eatimllwe Dept. of Town and Regional P. Moanakwena Curriculum Development Unit, Planning, MLGL MoE K. Kebldltswe E. Moepi Kalahari Conservation Society W.H. Kelly Botswana College of Agriculture B. Mogotsl Energy Affairs Division V.V. Kenosl A. Mogwe A. Kerton Botswana Bird Club R.M.B. Mokandla Wildlife Clubs

147 ANational Planning Conference P. Mokgadi Segale Primary School, Mochudi D. Rychner World Conservation Union T. Mokoena Faculty of Science, UB IUCN R. Molefhe The Guardian A. Scott World Wide Fund for Nature K.K. Molefl Molefl Secondary School, WWF Mochudi K. Sebilao Ministry of Agriculture K. Moloslwa Forestry Association P. Seblna Phapane Primary School, P. Mongwaketse Dept. Nonformal Education, MoE Mochudi M. Monroe N. Amer. Ass. for Env. Educ. M.L. Sebina Ministry Local Government and N. Mooki Camp Primary School, Gaborone Lands M. Mophuting Kagiso Secondary School, O.D. Sebonego BOCCIM Ramotswa Segodl Ministry Local Government and I Morupisl Brigades Development Centre Lands A.C. Mosha Dept. Environmental Science, UB S. Seisa Botswana National Commission Moswela Dept. TE, Francistown "rrC for UNESCO A.R. Mothibi Lobatse 3TC S.Sekhobo Dept. Nonformal Education, MoE L. G. Mothusi Dept. TE, Serowe Primary TTC M.B.M. Sekhwela NIDRD, UB M. Motlhagodl Isang Primary School, Mochudi M. Sekwale Dept. of Water Affairs, MMR&WA H.G. Motlhatlhedi Dept. Primary Education, MoE L.M. Seleka Ministry Mineral Resources and J. Motihlathedi Seingwaeng Primary School, Water Affairs Mochudl P.V. Sephuma Ministry of Education M. Motoma PEIP, UB Serati Department of Town and Re G. Motswaledi Dept. Teacher Education, MoE gional Planning, MLGLH M. Mpho Tshomarelo Okavango Cons. E. Setlhabl Kgafela Primary School, Mochudi Trust S. Shaw Curriculum Development Unit, N. Mthoko Ministry of Education, Namibia MoE M. Muehike Tonota College of Education P. Shaw Dept. Environmental Science, UB A.J. Munyadzwe Educational Broadcasting Unit, M. Sichilongo Wildlife Conservation Soc. of MoE Zambia N.J. K. Mwandila Tonota College of Education R.M.K. Sllitshena Dept. Environmental Science, UB J.A. Myburgh Ministry of Education, Namibia K. Sollart Dept. Pre-Entry Science, UB N. Ndaba Ministry of Education D. Spear Chobe Wildlife Trust M. Nganunu Dept. Secondary Education, MoE F.Stoneham Dept. Secondary Education, MoE Z.N. Ngotiama Institute for Adult Education, UB R.J. Stronkhorst Dept. Maths and Science Educa K. Nkawana Dept. of Wildlife and National tion, UB Parks, MCI G. Sunny Dept. Economics, UB C.M. Ntingana Dept. TE, Lobatse TC B.0. Swallander Brigades Development Centre G. Ntshiamisang Soda Ash Botswana R.Tabulawa Dept. Language and Social Ntumy Marang Wildlife Club Sciences, UB C. Olsen The Gazette A. A. Talwo Dept. Maths and Science Educa M. Oosterbaan Dept. Pre-Entry Science, UB tion, UB E. Patterson Kalahari Conservation Society D. M. Taolo Labour Dept., MLHA T. Platte Mochudi Education Centre, MoE N. Tau Dept. Nonformal Education, MoE Proctor O.S. Tau Dept. Adult Education, UB K.K. Puso Central District Council K.J. Thomas Botswana Polytechnic P.T. Ramatsui Dept. Curriculum Development Tikwakwa Camp Primary School, Gaborone and Evaluation, MoE 0. Totolo Dept. Environmental Science, UB B. Ramoleko Dept. TE, Serowe Primary 'ITC P. Tube National Museum L. Rasesigo G. Udasi Botswana Polytechnic J. Reed Nature Resources Management C. van der Post Dept. Environmental Science, UB Project T. Vanqa Dean of Education, UB H. Rempel Dept. Economics, UB R.R. Waldeland Roads Training Centre P. Richards Curriculum Development Unit, R. Wiggett Dept. Teacher Education, MoE MoE A. Wilkinson Dept. Biology, UB

Environmental Education 148 Annex 4 Abbreviations

BCA Botswana College of Agriculture SADC Southern African Development Community BRIDEC Brigades Development Centre UB University of Botswana CTO Central Transport Office UN United Nations FAB Forestry Association of Botswana UNEP United Nations Environment Programme IUCN International Union for the Conservation UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific and of Nature and Natural Resources Cultural Organisation KCS Kalahari Conservation Society USAID United States Agency for International NCS National Conservation Strategy Development NDP National Development Plan USIS United States Information NGO Non governmental organisation WCED World Commission on Environment and PESC Pre-entry Science Development SIDA Swedish International Development Agency WWF World Wide Fund for Nature

149 ANational Planning Conference