Environment and Pollution Curriculum for Schools in India

Environmental science has been a subject of great importance to us from ancient time. However, not much concern was expressed until some signs of its detritions are noticed as a result of human activities. Several governmental and non-governmental organizations have initiated programs to monitor and understand it better. Atmospheric chemistry, pollution, air quality are among the prominent environmental issues of the 21^st century. Therefore awareness about it must begin at the grass root level through schools. Hence the Supreme Court of India’s directive, mentioned below, comes as a welcome step to help the students across the country to make aware about the environmental science. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in its Judgment delivered on 18^thDecember 2003 in Writ Petition No 860 of 1991 has directed the NCERT to prepare a model syllabus for the Environmental Education to be taught at different grades. The Supreme Court directed all the

States and educational agencies in the country to introduce environment as a compulsory subject in all classes in schools up to the higher secondary level from the academic year 2004-05. It directed the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to frame a model syllabus for the schools keeping in view the 1991 judgment and submit it before the court on or before 14^th April 2004 so as to enable them to consider the feasibility to introduce such syllabus uniformly through out the country. The direction No 4 issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court as per its order dated 22^nd November 1991 read thus: “We accept on principle that through the medium of education awareness of the environment and its problems related to pollution should be taught as a compulsory subject. Learned Attorney General pointed out to us that the Central Government is associated with education at higher levels and University Grants Commission can monitor only the undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The rest of it, according to him, is a state subject. He has agreed that the university Grants Commission will take appropriate steps immediately to give effect to what we have said, that is requiring the universities to prescribe a course on Environment. They would consider the feasibility of making this a compulsory subject at every level in college education. So far as education up to the college level is concern, we would require every State Government. and every Education Board connected with education up to the matriculation stage or even intermediate colleges to immediately take steps to enforce compulsory education on environment in graded way. This should be so done that in the next academic year there would be compliance with this requirement”. Hence, the above Supreme Court directive is a positive gesture for environmental science awareness campaign. The concept to save our environment will automatically follow once awareness is created about its importance in the main stream. Now it is left to the implementing agencies as to how fast and effectively they can act on it. In this direction, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has initiated to consult and collect opinion of various experts / institutions regarding the perceptions in various dimensions of environmental education at different stages of school education. Some issues pertaining to overall implications like how one should introduce the course without increasing curriculum load and what are the implications of this in teacher’s education, etc are basic issues which can be debated and may be kept aside for the time being. Because this may certainly require a proper balance in overall load on a student by shortening the syllabus of other subjects without compromising the important elements and at the same time full weightage should be given to the new subject. We should start working directly and more rigorously on the content and material to be tough in a systematic manner in different standards regarding the environment subject. The environmental science should be considered as compulsory subject irrespective of the selection of optional subject. In a later stage (say in intermediate or so), this may be included as specialized course rather than subject, which may cover different disciplines of environmental science in detail

Source: http://envis.tropmet.res.in/jan6.htm

Realizing the importance of Environmental Information, the Government of India, in December, 1992, established anEnvironmental Information System (ENVIS) as a plan programme