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MORE than 60 000 schoolchildren recently benefitted from a programme called Environmental Sustainable Development (ESD).
This two-year professional development programme has equipped 240 teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach ESD activities.
Panduleni Haindongo, the spokesperson of the Namibia Desert Environmental Education Trust (Nadeet), recently told a conference at Swakopmund that the ESD programme has been a game changer in promoting ESD in Namibia.
“It has enabled teachers to integrate environmental education into their curriculum to empower pupils to become environmentally responsible citizens,” he said.
Nadeet director and cofounder Viktoria Keding emphasised the importance of the programme’s partnership with the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, and its support from regional offices and school principals.
“Meaningful change cannot be achieved without partnership, and this has contributed significantly to the programme’s success,” she said
She said the programme’s success can also be attributed to its components, which include centre-based training, regional workshops, school visits, and monitoring and evaluation activities.
Haindongo said Nadeet staff members have conducted school visits to observe the impact of the programme and to identify new activities, while the ‘Badge System’ monitored activities over 12 months and provided teachers with feedback.
He said the programme’s impact was significant, with 168 teachers planning and implementing ESD activities at school and reporting back to Nadeet by applying for badges.
This represents a 73% participation rate among the teachers in the programme.
“The Teach for ESD programme has allowed pupils to connect with the environment, appreciate its beauty, and understand the importance of protecting it. By teaching them to be environmentally conscious, we are ensuring a sustainable future for Namibia,” he said.
Kedding referred to the hands-on approach to teaching and learning that Nadeet has developed, noting this approach is only successful because participants are doing the activities, and “nobody is watching”.
She said teachers need to find new ways of teaching and learning that create agency and the desire for change.
The programme’s success has been recognised through various awards, including the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation-Japan Education for Sustainable Development 2018 Global Prize, and the Namibia Sustainable Development Award for Environmental Education 2017 Energy Global National Award.
Several feedback presentations by teachers in the programme indicated that the Teach for ESD programme has made a significant impact on promoting sustainable practices and protecting Namibia’s natural resources for future generations.
It has empowered teachers and pupils alike to be environmentally responsible citizens and has been successful due to its grounding in policy, partnerships, access to resources and a network of peers, a hands-on pupil-centred approach, and its embedded monitoring and evaluation system.
“Teachers need to continue their ESD journey, reach out to more pupils, and become trainers of others,” Keding said.
The conference took place in the year that Nadeet celebrates 20 years of work in the field of environmental education.
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