Environment policy document coming for education system

Revealing that the Ministry of Education would soon be presented with a draft environmental education policy document, which when approved will be used as the blue-print for responding to environment issues in the education system, Education Minister Hazel Manning stated this will empower students to take action, and not stop at the point of identifying the problem.

Manning made the disclosure as she addressed persons at the launch of the National Youth Forum on Health, Safety and the Environment (SHE) hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), at the Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday. AmCham President David Chaney said the launch was the culmination of an outreach programme undertaken by AmCham’s Safety, Health and Environmental Committee between November 2002 and February 2003. The project which was conducted in ten sessions (nine in Trinidad and one in Tobago), accommodated 1,116 students and 76 teachers from 54 secondary schools throughout TT. Chaney added that the project had resulted following the recognition that a gap existed between indigenous SHE issues and related technical information, especially for secondary school students in the advanced level programme.

The project which cost approximately TT $46,000 was sponsored by AmCham member companies, and earned a special achievement award in the Environmental Literacy Category of the Tidy TT Competition. Sessions included topics such as the Eco-Systems of TT; Waste Management Issues in TT; and the Current and Potential Impact of Improper Waste Management on the Eco-Systems. Stating that the “curriculum places emphasis on the importance on critical thinking and protecting our fragile environment in a sustainable manner,” Manning praised the national awareness and desire to protect the environment. However, she cautioned that unless this led “to a change in attitude and action, we will be operating at the level of a talk shop.”