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Environment Education of Teachers Through Technology Mediated Open and Distance Learning

The earth’s environment is in crisis mainly because it is being abused beyond its capacity by human beings. The present paper examines the need for environmental education and awareness in the present times. The paper focuses on the role of teachers and educators to spread awareness about environmental issues and problems. The emphasis is on sensitizing the student community through their teachers who can play a pivotal role in transmitting the requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, essential to restore or at least arrest the irreversible damage being caused to the environment. The paper describes various technology mediated initiatives by the developed and developing world to spread environment awareness. It delves into the need for use of open and distance learning methods by institutions to train teachers in the area of environment education. Since environment education cuts across all disciplines and levels of study, it is time that education planners and policy framers incorporate the elements of environment education as a compulsory component at all levels. The teacher training curricula could be redesigned to include the environment education component in the theory and practical courses. Convergence of formal and non -formal systems can be heavily relied on for capacity building of teachers in the area of environment education. Introduction Environment is essential for all life forms on the planet earth. There is dependence of all living beings, including human beings, on the environment, with which they interact continuously. However human beings are solely responsible for changing the environment by indiscriminate use of the natural resources. Therefore the onus of protecting the environment for the present and future generations also rests with human beings alone. So we need environmentally literate citizens. For this environment education is required, so that people become aware and take active part in protecting the earth’s environment by making informed decisions and taking environmentally friendly actions (Tbilisi UNESCO-UNEP I977:81). Singh, K in (UNESCO: 1996) outlines a holistic educational philosophy for the twenty first century, and states that, “the ecology of planet earth has to be preserved from mindless destruction and ruthless exploitation, and enriched for the welfare of generations yet unborn, and that these should be a more equitable consumption pattern based on limits to growth, not unbridled consumerism”. It is essential that people are made aware through education and training about protection and conservation of the environment. This will then inculcate in them sensitivity towards environmental issues and develop a responsible attitude towards the environment Environment Education The concept of environment education emerged only in the seventies which was called as the decade of environmental education. During that period the world realized that environmental concerns and awareness could be spread only through a mass environment education program. The concept of environment education emerged from the Stockholm Conference organized by the United Nation in 1972. Recommendations of the conference emphasized organization of ‘formal’ and ‘mass’ environmental education programs. In response to this, UNESCO-UNEP launched the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) in 1975 whose objective was to promote exchange of information, experience, research, curricula and international cooperation in the area of environmental education. Following this an international workshop was held in Belgrade in 1975, which emphasized that environment education should be lifelong, interdisciplinary, involve active global participation and foster values of local national and international cooperation (UNESCO UNEP:1985). An Inter-governmental Conference to consider environment education was organized at Tbilisi, USSR in 1977, by UNESCO and UNEP which resulted in the famous Tbilisi Declaration. The Tbilisi Conference recommended development of necessary skills, knowledge, values, attitudes and understanding among individuals and social groups about the environmental problems. It also emphasized the pre-service and in-service training of teachers in environmental education. The basis of such a training program would be the preparation of teaching learning materials and adoption of interdisciplinary approach. Use of mass media to disseminate information was also emphasized (UNESO-UNEP: 1985). Environment education, which has evolved as a global concept, is an ongoing life long process. As emphasized by Tbilisi (UNESCO-UNEP: 1977), environment education is regarded as a permanent process in which the individuals and the community gain awareness of