SCHOOLS
3.7.1 Australia
Herein are some of the suggestions in Australia to improve the management of EE projects in schools. For schools to improve in the management of EE projects, schools should be provided with incentives to develop their own school policy and action plan for EE projects. The whole-school approaches, which involve staff, students and community in learning for change towards EE project management, is seen as crucial since it engages every person at school. This idea is upheld in schools in order to make everyone take ownership of EE projects initiated in schools. Furthermore, it has been suggested that schools should develop strategic networks among school principals, educators and the schools communities to promote working together towards change of the management of EE projects. The process of networking will eventually work towards the development of a mentoring program for educators and managers’ working in EE centres and help schools explore and learn different approaches to managing EE projects and determine how it influences their work. A national network that links those working on the EE projects together could support the mentoring and develop a set of criteria/systems for the evaluation of effective EE projects (Tilbury et al., 2005:3-5; Gough (2011: 12).
In addition, the national action plan in Australia outlines the fundamental strategies on how to manage EE projects. These include the emphasis on providing people with knowledge, values and skills to make a difference to the protection and conservation of Australian’s environment, to raise a profile of EE and provide expert advice to Australia on EE issues, while promoting and sharing successful Australian initiatives and expertise in EE projects. Lastly, national and international partnerships are invited to strengthen and re-orientate policies and programs on EE in schools (Environment Australia, 2000: 5).
Other strategies to improve the management of EE projects in schools include professional development for educators. Educators who did not receive training on EE can attend short courses to enhance their knowledge on how to teach, initiate and to
66 manage EE projects. Educators teaching different subjects should plan together and coordinate similar activities to initiate one EE project that will involve the whole school. Lastly, school principals should improve systems to support the management EE projects in schools (Gough, 2011: 14)
Furthermore, in 2001 Australia, as a way of making progress with regard to means of improving the management of EE in schools, established two EE subjects at the senior secondary level: Environmental Science (a science subject) (Board of Studies, 2000a; VCAA, 2004) and Outdoor and Environmental Studies (a health and physical education subject (Board of Studies, 2000b; VCAA, 2005a; Gough, 2011: 17). The stand-alone EE as a subject gives value to EE projects, unlike when it is integrated to other curriculum subjects.
3.7.2 Canada
Developing school policy that will uphold the importance of Environmental Education in school is of outmost important. Environmental education should be regarded as the responsibility of the whole school community. It is more than a curriculum issue and involves schools in managing resources and grounds in a way that causes no significant damage to the environment and considers the needs of future generations. It should be considered as a lifelong multi-disciplinary approach to learning that helps people to understand and appreciate the environment and their connection to and impact on it. In addition, it should be considered as process which develops awareness, knowledge and understanding of the environment, positive and balanced attitudes towards it and skills which will enable students to participate in assessing the state of the environment.
3.7.3 America
Laina (2004:17) suggests that students should be directly involved in identifying environmental problems and solutions, not just absorbing and memorising facts. Parents and community members need to be brought into the learning process, particularly considering that environmental literacy is something that all citizens should be striving for, not just children.
67 In the US, the list of published EE curriculum guides that can be used in classrooms is extensive. Projects WET (Water Education for Teachers), project WILD and project Learning Tree are three nationally produced curricula that are very popular among educators. The popular topics covered in science and social sciences subjects are resource conservation and recycling, (Bartosh, 2003:26).
As part of the recommendations to ease the barriers to managing EE projects in schools, Chapman (2014:5) suggests that school principals as leaders should have a clearly articulated strategic vision on how to manage EE projects. At district level, subject facilitators and IDSOs should have a wide coordinated plan of EE projects. There should be a plan to locate place for school gardening projects and playgrounds; additional funding is required to support EE projects; more commitment is required from top-level officials from departments of education in managing EE projects in schools; there is a need of district policy regarding EE projects in schools; resources and time should be dedicated to EE projects in schools; and lastly, more funding for school level staff who focus on EE is needed.
3.7.4 Namibia
Educators in Namibia expressed the need to be involved in curriculum development because they find it advantageous to their work. Teachers explained that the process would enable them to understand their task better, air their grievances, and contribute to the discussion based on the reality in their classrooms. However, the development of curriculums in Namibia has followed a positivist approach which excludes the input of teachers. Advisory teachers (Subject facilitators) think that teachers experience no problems in teaching EE because they do not voice their concerns (Haindongo, 2013:189).
As a way of finding solutions to EE projects in Namibian schools, educators would like to have co-ordinators for EE in schools. Such a coordinator should be someone who organizes the EE projects in the school. The absence of a coordinator affects the implementation of EE because there is no one to monitor EE projects and to ensure that teachers’ needs are addressed. The coordinator should be someone trained and
68 knowledgeable in EE approaches who can assist teachers in the management and implementation of EE (Kanyimba, 2002:75-76).
3.7.5 Zimbabwe
Herein are some of Mukoni’s recommendations for the schools in Zimbabwe to manage EE projects effectively and efficiently. It is suggested that educators should take EE projects much more seriously in order to attract learners and community members. Community involvement in EE projects should aim at raising awareness that promotes finding solutions to environmental problems thereby creating alternatives to environmental unfriendly behaviour.
In addition, it also suggested that EE in the curriculum must stimulate social, political, economic and environmental change in nearby communities by shifting the community’s consciousness to improve environmental quality. Furthermore, all staff members should participate in a school EE project as a way of promoting ownership of the project. Lastly, EE in the schools must not aim to prepare students for participation in the community as it exists, but must take initiatives in the community to bring about transformative change by engaging learners and teachers in a process of self-reflective transformation through action competence.
3.7.6 South Africa
In South Africa national government, provincial government, para-statal organisations and many non-governmental organisations support school-based EE projects. Educators and learners receive developmental programmes and support materials (such as the Share-Net resource network) and school group visits to provincial EE centres (DEA & T 2001:15). While these various agencies were often the only EE support teachers could call on, their activities were also often not co-ordinated and at times poorly integrated with school programmes and curricula (DEA & T, 2001:15).
In most schools in South Africa, non-governmental organisations are the key establisher of the EE projects and they do not release the total control of the management of the EE project; thus, the school/educators do not feel like the owners
69 of the projects. Negligence, lack of dedication and understanding of the importance, aims and objectives of the EE projects are then the result.
3.8 THE SUCCESSES EXPERIENCED IN MANAGING EE PROJECTS IN