Foundation trains teachers, students on environmental education
By Talatu Maiwada
Environment
Abuja, June 4, 2018 (NAN) Youth Initiative for Sustainable Human Development in Africa (YiSHDA) says it has trained no fewer than 200 students on environmental education in the FCT.
Mr Moses Agbara, Director of Communication, YiSHDA, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
According to Agbara, the training was conducted in collaboration with Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).
“These are part of the activities to commemorate 2018 World Environmental Day scheduled for June 5,’’ he said.
Agbara said 200 students and 10 teachers who were selected from 10 schools across the six area councils of the FCT benefited from the School Environmental Programme (SEP).
He listed some of the participating schools to include Government Girls Secondary School Abaji, Model Secondary School, Maitama, and Government Secondary School Kubwa, among others.
Agbara said the School Environmental Programme (SEP) was a comprehensive environmental education programme developed by the foundation to create a platform for environmental awareness among young people.
The objective of the programme, he said, was to strengthen the capacity of 200 young people to solve environmental challenges and to promote understanding of environment and economic development.
He said environmental education was extremely important, in ensuring that new generations understood the importance and significance of the environment and how to protect it.
Agbara said pollution and industrial gases amongst other things interfered with environmental well-being on a regular basis hence the need to ensure proactive steps were taken to care for the environment.
He added that providing proper knowledge to future generations would help to flourish the environment as the survival of the world depended on it.
“Environmental education provides important opportunities for students to become engaged in real world issues that transcend classroom walls.
“They can see the relevance of their classroom studies to the complex environmental issues confronting our planet and they will acquire skills needed to be creative problem solvers and powerful advocates.
“The programme will give young people the opportunity to make real difference to their own quality of life, their local community as well as contributing to the future well-being of the planet,’’ he added.
Agbara said that, meeting the needs of global citizenry both ecologically, economically, culturally required understanding and creative problem solving.
He said the pursuit of sustainable development and environmental conservation policies, objectives and targets required the public to be sufficiently sensitised to the multiple dimensions of environment and development.
In commemoration of the 2018 World Environmental Day, Agbara said the foundation in partnership with AEPB would organise,`Young Environmental Exhibition and Awards’ for best participating schools on seeking environmental problems and solution. (NAN)
TIM/GOM/MST
Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Muhammad Suleiman Tola