Education and the environment

Keith Noel, Contributor

There is at least one belief that Jamaicans across the social spectrum share. This is that, if they wish to be good parents, their main function is to ensure that their children receive a good education.

But, in Jamaica, education is equated with certification. A school is judged by what percentage of its students get excellent GSAT passes or CXC grades. Few people give a hoot about what schools do to develop in their children appropriate attitudes, values, concern about others, appreciation of one's culture, respect for one's fellow man, or any of those 'esoteric' aspects of human existence. In fact, sometimes there is even opposition when a school tries to increase the time spent on things like these. Many a teacher has been asked by a parent: "So how is this thing (that you want my child to become involved in) going to help his career?" or "Is she going to get any credits for this? Will it be on her certificate?" Recognising that this is a common attitude, but being aware that education is more than subject certification, some schools and colleges put activity that is important but not 'certificate-relevant' on their programmes and make their completion a requirement for graduation.

Tendency to resist

Yet, the tendency to resist these programmes continues. So the question is: If not through the education system, how are we going to develop environmental awareness in our society? The creation of environmental clubs in schools has had little impact on our young people's attitude to environmental issues. And this is not surprising. Their elders do not care. What percentage of Jamaican drivers care about the effects of the emissions from their cars? How many persons would not be annoyed if their supermarkets stopped packaging their purchases in plastic bags and sold cheap, recyclable, cloth bags for them to use? How many persons have stopped burning garbage? How is it that the only argument we can use to get people to stop throwing garbage into gullies and canals is that it can cause flooding?

It is in schools that we can develop these attitudes in the young, but we cannot get our education planners on board. The syllabuses primary and high schools use pay ample lip service to environmental issues, but so little of it is part of that which is examined at GSAT and CXC that when 'serious' work is being done, this is pushed aside. We must recognise that 'what is examined is what is taught seriously' and treat this vital issue accordingly

More interest needed

We accept that organisations like National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) continue to try to have an impact, but one should note the comment made by the organisers of the recent Earth Day celebrations that, although the day went well, "we could have had more students". Environmental issues continue to be a part of the 'extracurricular' activity in schools and this is reflected in the student attendance at functions like these. Of interest, too, is the fact that the Schools Environment Programme has been scaled down.

How many of us ask questions about fuel efficiency when buying an appliance? How many are concerned about the fact that a dark roof on a house, no matter how attractive, is going to cause us to use more air conditioning? How many of us are interested in hybrid vehicles, or even the Benz Bionic?

But we can take heart from that small group of citizens of Harbour View, who recently won that court battle against the National Water Commission. Maybe, somehow, the seed has been sown and people are starting to listen to the environment advocates.

Keith Noel is an educator. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.