Chandigarh, October 6
Going by latest guidelines of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), environment education will soon cease to be a side subject based on the conventional “study-text-books-write-examination” mode.
Environment education, which was never a part of the formal grading system in schools, will now be an important subject, where the curriculum will include projects, discussions, visits and even practical activities in addition to usual written examination.
The council in addition to revamping the syllabus has also come out with fresh textbooks emphasising on hands-on activities and projects on environment-related issues.
Classes VI to X will include projects like preventing wastage of electricity and water due to negligence, plight of ragpickers, oral health and hygiene and disaster management. For higher secondary classes, the projects will emphasise on innovation and invention of various environment-friendly techniques. Teaching handbooks and manuals have also been published. “Environment education has so far been confined to being a common theme of all extra-curricular activities. The new guidelines will, however, elevate the subject from being a mere sideshow,” said a senior NCERT official.