Our nation’s future depends upon the wise and educated citizens who are well informed about all kinds of information from past history to modern science to environment. Let us first know the meaning of the term Environmental Education it is a process that brings an increment in people’s knowledge and make them aware about the environment and there challenges, develops pre requite skills and make us expert to address the challenges and fosters attitude to inform people to take responsible decision and action. The subject Environmental Education makes it clear that it’s all about environment. It helps us to sustain environment for our family, community and also for future generation. The study makes us aware about the ills and good things about an environment. It imparts us about the ways to protect the environment which is at a threat.
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India is a country with large amount of illiterate population. The present statistic shows that the literacy rate of India in 2011 was about 74%. It is assumed that till 2060 India will achieve literacy rate of 100%. Thus, if a citizen is educated he/she will bring environmental prosperity making a better society.
Environmental education educates a student not only in environmental sphere but also in scientific, geographical and also about duty of citizens towards the environment. It teaches us chapters related to science like about biology which deals with the study of human beings, geography like it makes us aware about the fossils, soils etc. it also makes us aware of the duty of a citizen towards the environment like protecting trees, conserving the environment by afforestation, banning or reducing cutting of trees. The constitution of India not only gives us numerous rights and freedom but also binds us to perform some duties towards the nation.
The subject environmental education helps to bind an individual with the nature. It connects us to the environment by imparting us about environment. The project given by the educational institution helps us to research about environment making us close to environment. While making the project we become aware about the ills and bad phases through which the environment is going like global warming, ozone layer depletion, etc.it also makes us aware of the causes and the ways to control it apart from all that it makes us aware about the consequences of them. For example, let us take up a case of Global Warming; the meaning of the term is a continuous rise in the temperature of the Earth. The cause of which is greenhouse gas effect the increasing amount of these gases have a warming effect on the Earth. The consequences of global warming will be melting of glaciers raising the sea level which will bring the Earth under the water making it Waterworld. How to control this? This is a millionaire question. This uncontrollable effect on our planet Earth can be controlled through afforestation, reduce the energy use, stop deforestation, etc. Thus, by making a project on environmental issues can make us closer to the environment and also we become aware of the means to stop them.
Environmental education makes us aware of the various voluntary and non-voluntary groups which play a role in bettering the condition of environment. These groups’ like WHO, UNESCO, CRY, Etc. raises fund to the government to make a better society like funding for afforestation, making schools and colleges for poor to make them educate them, etc. These groups help to a great extent. NGO (non-governmental organization) also takes initiative to make a better society.
Many schools and colleges have taken initiative (after studying environmental education) to make a group common to all schools where all the schools meet and make programmes like growing of trees in locality, stopping people to throw garbage, teaching students to sow seeds and saplings, etc. these were taught through these groups.
TTIS (the Telegraph in School) has also taken initiative to conserve the forest through various programmes held by them. The aim of this organisation is to conserve the endangered tigers. Many students are involved in this programme and take initiative to conserve the national animal of our country.
An environmental tour also help to become aware of the environment. School takes the students for excursion which helps the student to have practical experience about the environment. The students along with teachers help to promote awareness among the illiterate masses teaching them about ills of deforestation, ozone layer depletion, global warming, etc. they promote ways to plant trees and teach them the advantages of planting trees.
Though the subject is very beneficial to us but my question is Does Environmental Education as subject educates Every individual?
The answer to which is No. Not every individual is affected by it because India is a country where many are illiterate and those ‘many’ are not given education. Large sections of the population lives in rural area and are deprived of education they are not given ample opportunity to be informed and are still ignorant. Obviously, the educated ones are already aware, but what about the ones who are uneducated? This question is yet to be tackled. I think my next article will be how to make the uneducated aware.?
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