Environmental Education Protection

Environmental education, viewed both locally and globally, is a rather young, dynamic and extremely complex field to study and interpret. Environmental education is not only characterized by dealing with complex issues but with paradoxes as well. Since Tbilisi Conference and Rio Summit, the importance of Environmental Education and the urgency of sustainability have apparently grown. In practical terms, however, in no country has Environmental Education been given the opportunity to be a core curricular subject yet. The struggle to mainstream it is still in progress.

In Ethiopia, Environmental Education has been mentioned since the eighties, and gradually gained attention, until much better focus was given in the New Curriculum Framework of 2009. Consequently, numerous environmental issues are made to be incorporated in the new syllabus. However, certain gaps in the provision of teaching material resources as well as staff competencies and outlooks still remain. It is in the attempt of bridging those gaps that the Ministry of Education in partnership with UNICEF initiated the Environmental Education and Protection Program. UNICEF commissioned Medco Bio-Medical College to mobilize a team of professional consultants in the process of launching the program. First of all, the entire program was targeted at revitalization and activating the Environmental Protection Clubs in the Second Cycle Primary and Secondary Schools. The project aimed at three inter-related objectives:

• conducting EE needs assessment;
• preparation of EE modules for the schools; and
• training of teachers for effective utilization of the modules.

This module primarily aims at serving as an effective manual to guide the co-curricular learning activities of the Environmental Protection Clubs in the schools. A secondary but essential aim is to serve as an important compendium source of practicum in the formal curriculum where the interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary types of EE lessons are offered. The module is, therefore, designed in such a way that it suits rural and urban schools in all regions, and serves students from grade 5 to grade 12, EPC coordinators and subject teachers of all environmental education carrier fields.

This is not a recipe manual. It is not meant to feed information, and give definitive answers to all questions of environment. Rather the ultimate answers are supposed to be searched and found out by the users (teachers, students and club members) in a situation of active learning in EE and life skills. It is a do-it-yourself module.

The module has six parts. Part one is a background overview of the state of Environmental Education in the country. The other five parts deal with the respective environmental components of Land Resources, Water Resources, Air Pollution, Energy Utilization and Waste Management.

Since the above modules are available in Amharic and English , those who are interested in obtaining the copies can contact the College through the following addresses:

Wollo Sefer Campuses :-+251 114 16 50 49

+251 116 51 73 29/+251 114 16 55 92/

+251 114 16 50 95/ +251 114 16 55 64

22 Mazoria Campuses ' +251 116 63 33 95

Fax: +251 114 16 50 35 P.O.Box: 270 code 1110

E-maile: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it