MY TRAVEL RESEARCH QUESTION
How are environmental topics (climate change, clean air/water, renewable energy, endangered species) incorporated into India's school curricula and culture?
Reflection
My observations throughout India, both in schools and in public spaces (billboards, airports), is that there is clearly a concerted messaging campaign aimed at a suite of environmental problems. In airports and on television commercials, there was a great deal of awareness campaigns, including being conscientious about waste disposal, as well as saving water. In Bangalore, I observed that garbage was all over the streets, sidewalks, and waterways. It is a paradox of Indian society that individuals value cleanliness, but primarily within their personal spaces. We were told it is easy to throw away something in a public space or in someone else's space: a classic example of tragedy of the commons. Also paradoxical, is the fact that the Hindu religion worships numerous bodies of water as well as cows, yet directly and indirectly pollute them, the latter due to accidental ingestion of plastic garbage.
There are some non-profit environmental groups (dailydump.org) that are also doing some amazing work at educating the public and students about sanitation. One teacher relayed the fact that if she were to ask her students to clean the garbage around the school or her classroom, that she would be inundated with severe complaints from parents, stating that it is not the role of students to clean up schools. Thus there are clearly cultural values that encumber the definition of "community service" as we would categorize such projects in the U.S., where schools routinely require service learning projects (including greening up) as part of student graduation requirements.
Within schools, there were clearly environmental standards embedded in school curricula. Climate change and renewable energy seemed to have strong emphasis. At Maharishi Vidya Mandir school in Chhatarpur, students in the previous year had planted many trees around the campus as part of a unit on climate change, and they calculated the carbon dioxide sequestration potential of the trees while assessing their carbon footprint. At my host school, Kendriya Vidyalaya Chhatarpur public school, high school students participated in an exhibition at the school, similar to a science fair, where they were challenged to design the cities and schools of the future, including environmental considerations, like renewable energy. Many of the science teachers I spoke with felt these issues were covered by the required state curriculum, but also that most schools had extracurricular "eco-clubs" that carry out environmental advocacy, including the production of environmental skits, essay writing, and attendance at social gatherings about climate change and the environment. There are even festivals in various Indian cities that celebrate the environment in some capacity.
As a science teacher that continually tells my students about the magnanimity of the environmental challenges facing their generation, India presents a fascinating case study where so many of these challenges are already reaching an apex, and action is critically needed. From cities (like Bangalore) that were experiencing massive population growth to rural areas where droughts were severely curtailing food production, India has many challenges ahead in terms of feeding and sheltering its 1.3 billion citizens and sustaining a clean environment with enough natural resources (forests, clean air and water, biodiversity) for subsequent generations. It was inspiring to hear that environmental education was ubiquitous throughout the schools I visited, and also that many environmental advocates and educators realize that one of the quickest means of promoting positive environmental change is through the education of children. Poverty remains the number one issue for India, and clearly most environmental problems that I discussed (water, energy, food) are directly correlated with poverty. It would be great to return to my host school in the near future to foster an international partnership between schools centered around project-based learning and environmental sustainability topics, where students can be empowered to make positive change.
How are environmental topics (climate change, clean air/water, renewable energy, endangered species) incorporated into India's school curricula and culture?
Reflection
My observations throughout India, both in schools and in public spaces (billboards, airports), is that there is clearly a concerted messaging campaign aimed at a suite of environmental problems. In airports and on television commercials, there was a great deal of awareness campaigns, including being conscientious about waste disposal, as well as saving water. In Bangalore, I observed that garbage was all over the streets, sidewalks, and waterways. It is a paradox of Indian society that individuals value cleanliness, but primarily within their personal spaces. We were told it is easy to throw away something in a public space or in someone else's space: a classic example of tragedy of the commons. Also paradoxical, is the fact that the Hindu religion worships numerous bodies of water as well as cows, yet directly and indirectly pollute them, the latter due to accidental ingestion of plastic garbage.
There are some non-profit environmental groups (dailydump.org) that are also doing some amazing work at educating the public and students about sanitation. One teacher relayed the fact that if she were to ask her students to clean the garbage around the school or her classroom, that she would be inundated with severe complaints from parents, stating that it is not the role of students to clean up schools. Thus there are clearly cultural values that encumber the definition of "community service" as we would categorize such projects in the U.S., where schools routinely require service learning projects (including greening up) as part of student graduation requirements.
Within schools, there were clearly environmental standards embedded in school curricula. Climate change and renewable energy seemed to have strong emphasis. At Maharishi Vidya Mandir school in Chhatarpur, students in the previous year had planted many trees around the campus as part of a unit on climate change, and they calculated the carbon dioxide sequestration potential of the trees while assessing their carbon footprint. At my host school, Kendriya Vidyalaya Chhatarpur public school, high school students participated in an exhibition at the school, similar to a science fair, where they were challenged to design the cities and schools of the future, including environmental considerations, like renewable energy. Many of the science teachers I spoke with felt these issues were covered by the required state curriculum, but also that most schools had extracurricular "eco-clubs" that carry out environmental advocacy, including the production of environmental skits, essay writing, and attendance at social gatherings about climate change and the environment. There are even festivals in various Indian cities that celebrate the environment in some capacity.
As a science teacher that continually tells my students about the magnanimity of the environmental challenges facing their generation, India presents a fascinating case study where so many of these challenges are already reaching an apex, and action is critically needed. From cities (like Bangalore) that were experiencing massive population growth to rural areas where droughts were severely curtailing food production, India has many challenges ahead in terms of feeding and sheltering its 1.3 billion citizens and sustaining a clean environment with enough natural resources (forests, clean air and water, biodiversity) for subsequent generations. It was inspiring to hear that environmental education was ubiquitous throughout the schools I visited, and also that many environmental advocates and educators realize that one of the quickest means of promoting positive environmental change is through the education of children. Poverty remains the number one issue for India, and clearly most environmental problems that I discussed (water, energy, food) are directly correlated with poverty. It would be great to return to my host school in the near future to foster an international partnership between schools centered around project-based learning and environmental sustainability topics, where students can be empowered to make positive change.
Click here to learn more about India's water crisis and the figures above at the World Resources Institute website.
Click HERE to read the above article by Baba Umar, (aljazeera.com)
Click HERE to read to access the actual INCCA Report on Climate Change effects on India.
Click HERE to read more about India's Climate and Energy Policy.
Click HERE to read more about India's Climate and Energy Policy.
Image by S.K. Balasubramanian. Click here to read article, "Hindu Evolution."
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