Tehran – As education plays an important role in improving environmental protection, the Ministry of the Environment (DOE) plans to implement a national project aimed at training environmentally friendly students called “environmental helpers” in 20% of elementary schools across the country.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with healthcare providers at the beginning of the new semester on September 23, DOE officials said.
The aim is to identify students interested in environmental issues and encourage them to participate in working groups focusing on environmental subjects.
These students will later train other students to raise environmental awareness. The project is expected to cover all schools over five years, officials added.
Additionally, informal education in the form of extracurricular activities will be implemented. As a result, the development of the subject of the national environment is placed on the agenda. He noted that it contributes to creating a roadmap for formal environmental education, where relevant content is included in the curriculum.
To instill environmentally friendly behavior, environmental education must be introduced at an early age, when children are in elementary school or kindergarten. However, there are some challenges. Education is an ongoing process. Temporary or short courses do not induce long-term behavioral changes. It takes time to see the advantage, Medady said.
The key to changing education
In May, DOE collaborated with the Ministry of Education to implement an environmental project under the theme of “Education is the key to change.”
The main objective of the project was to promote environmental literacy and promote a culture of environmental responsibility among students, reported Mehr News Agency.
It also aims to share environmental knowledge about students who are utilizing the capabilities of peer educators. It changes student attitudes and promotes social responsibility. Get students familiar with Indigenous, climate and local characteristics. It encourages students to participate as environmentally friendly individuals to raise environmental awareness at school, at home and elsewhere.
In March, DOE head Shina Ansari said environmental protection is in the public interest and that national policy documents also emphasize the importance of environmental education.
Ansari emphasized the importance of environmental education at a young age, saying, “To get out of the current situation, we need to focus on the education sector.”
The DOE is planning to work with the Ministry of Education to train green students across the country to change students’ attitudes towards the environment, officials said.
Education Minister Alileza Kazemi said the ministry plans to integrate environmental awareness into formal and informal curricula.
“The world faces many threats today. If we can’t deal with them, humans are in great danger without leaving anything for the future.
The environmental crisis is one of the most important and fundamental challenges facing humanity. “There are irreversible consequences of environmental degradation that require solutions to be considered,” he pointed out.
Officials went on to say that teaching students about the environment, raising environmental awareness, and promoting a culture that protects the environment is one of the basic solutions.
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