Environmental Education
Environmental topics have
been included in many subjects and
curriculum from time to time in the schools,
colleges, universities and other
institutions but a transformation in
environmental law in India began in 1985
when an Indian lawyer, M.C. Mehta, persuaded
India's Supreme Court to rule that Article
21 of the Indian Constitution, which
guarantees each citizen the "right to life,"
necessarily includes the "right to a healthy
environment." The implications of this
ruling are far-reaching: Each Indian citizen
now has the right to seek enforcement of
India's environmental laws by filing a writ
petition to the Supreme Court of India, or a
State High Court. M.C. Mehta has achieved
unparalleled success protecting the
environment and public health through law in
India, winning numerous Supreme Court
judgments on behalf of India's citizens to
preserve India's natural resources and
cultural heritage. In a recent victory, M.C.
successfully petitioned the Supreme Court of
India to enforce a 1991 decision requiring
environmental studies as a compulsory
subject at all levels of Indian education.
The December, 2003, court order requires
that green curricula be taught in all of
India's 28 states. In 1991, M.C. obtained
the original Supreme Court order, requiring
mandatory environmental education to fulfill
the fundamental duties of citizens to
"protect and improve the natural
environment," as set out in India's
Constitution.
Environment and Pollution control Curriculum
for Schools in India
A Welcome Sign for Environmental Awareness
Moment:
Environmental science has been a subject of
great importance to us from ancient time.
However, not much concern was expressed
until some signs of its detritions are
noticed as a result of human activities.
Several governmental and non-governmental
organizations have initiated programs to
monitor and understand it better.
Atmospheric chemistry, pollution, air
quality are among the prominent
environmental issues of the 21st century.
Therefore awareness about it must begin at
the grass root level through schools. Hence
the Supreme Court of India's directive,
mentioned below, comes as a welcome step to
help the students across the country to make
aware about the environmental science. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in its Judgment
delivered on 18th December 2003 in Writ
Petition No 860 of 1991 has directed the
NCERT to prepare a model syllabus for the
Environmental Education to be taught at
different grades. The Supreme Court directed
all the States and educational agencies in
the country to introduce environment as a
compulsory subject in all classes in schools
up to the higher secondary level from the
academic year 2004-05. It directed the
National Council for Educational Research
and Training (NCERT) to frame a model
syllabus for the schools keeping in view the
1991 judgment and submit it before the court
on or before 14th April 2004 so as to enable
them to consider the feasibility to
introduce such syllabus uniformly throughout
the country. The direction No 4 issued by
the Hon'ble Supreme Court as per its order
dated 22nd November 1991 read thus: "We
accept on principle that through the medium
of education awareness of the environment
and its problems related to pollution should
be taught as a compulsory subject. Learned
Attorney General pointed out to us that the
Central Government is associated with
education at higher levels and University
Grants Commission can monitor only the
undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The
rest of it, according to him, is a state
subject. He has agreed that the university
Grants Commission will take appropriate
steps immediately to give effect to what we
have said, that is requiring the
universities to prescribe a course on
Environment. They would consider the
feasibility of making this a compulsory
subject at every level in college education.
So far as education up to the college level
is concern, we would require every State
Government and every Education Board
connected with education up to the
matriculation stage or even intermediate
colleges to immediately take steps to
enforce compulsory education on environment
in graded way. This should be so done that
in the next academic year there would be
compliance with this requirement". Hence,
the above Supreme Court directive is a
positive gesture for environmental science
awareness campaign. The concept to save our
environment will automatically follow once
awareness is created about its importance in
the main stream. Now it is left to the
implementing agencies as to how fast and
effectively they can act on it. In this
direction, National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) has initiated
to consult and collect opinion of various
experts / institutions regarding the
perceptions in various dimensions of
environmental education at different stages
of school education. Some issues pertaining
to overall implications like how one should
introduce the course without increasing
curriculum load and what are the
implications of this in teacher's education,
etc are basic issues which can be debated
and may be kept aside for the time being.
Because this may certainly require a proper
balance in overall load on a student by
shortening the syllabus of other subjects
without compromising the important elements
and at the same time full weightage should
be given to the new subject. We should start
working directly and more rigorously on the
content and material to be tough in a
systematic manner in different standards
regarding the environment subject. The
environmental science should be considered
as compulsory subject irrespective of the
selection of optional subject. In a later
stage (say in intermediate or so), this may
be included as specialized course rather
than subject, which may cover different
disciplines of environmental science in
detail.
COMPENDIUM OF SUMMARIES OF JUDICIAL
DECISIONS IN ENVIRONMENT RELATED CASES
India - Constitutional Rights, Environmental
Education
M.C. MEHTA v. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS
WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) No. 860 OF 1991 THE
CHIEF JUSTICE, G.N. RAY, J., and A.S. ANAND,
J.
Introduction
Petitioner, M.C. Mehta filed this
application in the public interest, asking
the Supreme Court to: (1) issue direction to
cinema halls that they show slides with
information on the environment; (2) issue
direction for the spread of information
relating to the environment on All India
Radio; and (3) issue direction that the
study of the environment become a compulsory
subject in schools and colleges.
Petitioner made this application on the
grounds that Article 51A(g) of the
Constitution requires every citizen to
protect and improve the natural environment,
including forests, lakes, rivers and
wildlife, and to have compassion for living
creatures. To fulfil these obligations to
the environment, the Petitioner argued that
people needed to be better educated about
the environment.
Legal Framework
Constitution of India, Article 5lA(g).
Water Pollution Control Act of 1974.
Air Pollution Control Act 1981.
Environment Protection Act of 1986.
Held
The Court noted the world-wide concern about
environmental matters had increased greatly
since the early 1970s. The Court also noted
that the enormous increase in human
population in the last fifty years, as well
as changes in lifestyles, have necessitated
that environmental issues be given more
attention, and that it is the Government's
obligation to keep citizens informed about
such matters.
The Court noted that the Attorney-General of
India agreed to work out procedures to take
care of some of the Petitioner's concerns.
Thus, the Court issued the following
directions:
(1) The State Governments and Union
Territories will require, as a condition of
licenses to all cinema halls, touring
cinemas and video parlours, that at least
two slides/messages provided by the Ministry
of Environment, and which deal with
environmental issues, will be shown free of
cost as part of each show. Failure to comply
with this order is grounds for cancellation
of a license.
(2) The Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting will start producing short
films which deal with the environment and
pollution. One such film will be shown, as
far as practicable, in one show every day by
the cinema halls.
(3) All India Radio and Dooradarshan will
take steps to make and broadcast interesting
programmes on the environment and pollution.
The Attorney-General has said that five to
seven minutes can be devoted to these
programs each day on these radio/TV
stations.
(4) The University Grants Commission will
take appropriate steps to require
universities to prescribe a course on the
environment. They should consider making
this course a compulsory subject.
As far as education up to the college level,
every State Government and every Education
Board connected with education up to the
matriculation stage, as well as intermediate
colleges, is required to take steps to
enforce compulsory education on the
environment in a graded way.
Compliance is required for the next academic
year.
The (sickly) green face of Indian education
Call it the apathy of the Indian media to
environmental issues, blame an obsession
with flamboyant trivia such as India's rare
cricket win over Australia, or view it as a
measure of how much the media care about
education: An important recent mandate by
the Supreme Court to "green" curricula at
all levels of education received barely any
commentary, and only skimpy reports confined
to obscure corners of national newspapers.
Tracing the history of the case that
culminated in the December 18 court order
may itself constitute an academic exercise
of sorts. One would have to go all the way
back to 1991 when the court responded
favorably to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
that M C Mehta - perhaps the world's
best-known environmental lawyer - had filed
pleading the court to order education bodies
to introduce environmental studies as a
compulsory subject at all levels of Indian
education.
Mehta had made the plea invoking clause (g)
of article (51 A) of the constitution, "with
a view to educating the people of India
about their social obligation in matter of
upkeep of the environment in proper shape
and making them alive to their obligation
not to act as polluting agencies or
factors". Headed Fundamental Duties, article
(51 A) was incorporated into the Indian
constitution through an amendment in 1976;
its clause (g) "requires every citizen to
protect and improve the natural environment
including forests, lakes, rivers and wild
life and to have compassion for all living
creatures".
In its order, delivered on November 22,
1991, the court had directed the central
government, states, union territories and
educational organizations responsible for
prescribing syllabi to comply with its
ruling by the academic year 1992-1993; it
had also mandated commercial cinema halls to
allow a minimum number of free slide shows
on the theme of environmental protection and
asked authorities to cancel the licenses of
errant halls. However, in a not unusual
display of government agencies' indifference
to environmental concerns - especially as
expressed within the generally neglected
realm of education - the directive was
anything but honored.
So Mehta petitioned the court again on July
21, 2003, whereupon the court issued notices
to the same state agencies, seeking their
responses regarding the implementation of
its 1991 order. The court failed to receive
responses from all the parties within the
stipulated time; so on September 22 it
slapped a fine of Rs 15, 000 (US$329) each
on the 10 defaulting states, which it also
asked to file affidavits. Out of those 10
states, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Haryana failed to oblige even thereafter; so
on October 28 the court summoned their chief
secretaries to answer "why contempt of court
proceedings not be initiated against them
for deliberately disobeying the court
orders". (About a month later, on November
25, the court also had to issue notices to
Tamil Nadu regarding contradictions in its
request for exemptions from filing the
affidavit before the deadline; on December
9, the chief secretary apologized in that
regard on behalf of that state).
On December 18, in resuming the hearing of
Mehta's PIL, the court ordered all of the
same agencies to implement the same old
directive: now from the 2004-2005 academic
year. The situation now, however, is a
little different: This time the court has
taken it on itself to oversee the process
directly, one of whose chief elements
includes for it to approve the syllabi that
the agencies are ordered to turn in by April
14.
The court's order, though its own rehash
with a fresh and mandatory urgency, has a
wider context than has been acknowledged in
the press. (Of course, as noted earlier, the
Indian press has relegated this whole issue
to insignificance, even at the level of
news.) A number of factors actually point to
the probability that the order at best
extends and empowers the vapid and, in many
ways, crudely technocratic Indian
bureaucracy; at worst, it outclasses the
bureaucracy in its lack of imagination and
anti-democratic paternalism.
For one, it is ludicrous for the court to
assume that the myriad agencies that have
dishonored it for the past 12 years would
now be excited about and capable of
activating - genuinely teaching - the
syllabi in classrooms once they are designed
and introduced. Short of that, how is the
court going to ensure anything significant
in the sensitive area of education? The
court's own answer is of course increased
and closer supervision: but is that the
answer or a mere bureaucratic imitation -
hence prolonging - of the larger bureaucracy
called the government of India it has sought
to rectify ?
The fact of the matter is that the Indian
education system, a single but formidable
component of the government, is an unwieldy
bureaucracy still firmly rooted in the
colonial past: Qualitatively it was the
branch of British colonial government
entrusted to breed clerks and petty
officials to serve the Crown;
administratively it was and continues to be
highly centralized, even though India has a
large number of universities, most of which
are geographically divided into small
colleges.
Anybody who has an Indian education is
likely to agree that most of it is based on
learning by rote and time-bound annual
exams. In such a system, enlightened
awareness and ethical consciousness of any
kind are hard to impart, cultivate, and
reward: Individual teachers have neither the
authority nor the training to design their
own syllabi or even exams. The exams, in
most cases occurring only once at the end of
the academic year, typically appear as
question papers secretly designed by
teachers discretely picked up by central
committees; as for their delivery, students
sit for three grueling hours to handwrite
answers they are supposed to have imbibed
along the year through memorization: to
time-tested questions constituting the
papers.
Contrary to what India's educated class
would like to believe (despite its often
vocal internal complaints and skepticism):
the mainstream Indian education system
typically desensitizes and standardizes
otherwise curious young minds - students and
freshly appointed teachers alike.
Complementing this counter-creativity
machine are the numerous standardized
competitive exams that high school and
college graduates are expected to pass in
order to become anybodies from bank clerks,
railway executives and insurance officials
to revenue collectors with state or central
government. (The great Indian family hardly
helps there as it steers its young members
deeper into self-centered career games for
the sake of pecuniary gains.)
By deliberately pushing the theme of
environment into this soulless quagmire
called Indian education, the court has paved
the way for the stultification of any
ecological consciousness that the Indian
youngster may have inherited from custom and
spiritual traditions. Worse, after going
through the mandatory courses, the young and
increasingly consumerist graduate might
actually begin to believe that he knows a
thing or two about the environment - more
than, let's say, the uneducated poor, the
scheduled tribes, or the "ecosystem people"
(a-la Madhav Gadgil and Ramchandra Guha). By
virtue of that self-congratulatory myopia,
he may in fact victimize India's social
ecology as well as himself. In a country
that can boast of only 65.38 percent
literacy, it is not difficult, especially
for the quasi-urban college graduate, to
consider himself smarter than the huge
illiterate minority.
Here, it is difficult to resist thinking
whether the court is not myopic itself:
After all, it is the same court that not too
long ago held activist and author Arundhati
Roy guilty for a contemptibly flimsy charge
of contempt of court, and which has quite a
reputation for flaunting its own immunity
from public criticism on the basis of the
same arcane, feudalistic law traceable to
the yester-century of British colonialism.
On that count, what is dreadful in the
current legal instance is the way the court
assumed the authority to verify and approve
uniform courses on environment for such an
ecologically, economically, linguistically
and culturally diverse region as India. The
court has sought that uniformity by
directing the central agencies of the
National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT), the University Grants
Commission and the All India Council of
Technical Education to coordinate among
themselves; but, again, those agencies are
altogether too removed from the local
geographical and classroom contexts within
which the courses they would suggest would
be taught.
For all that, those agencies are quite
likely - in some sense obligated - to
present a highly statist,
government-of-India view of the environment
and environmental problems: in which big
dams, for example, may well be touted as
ecological solutions rather than the
gargantuan headaches they really are.
Likewise, one could also expect
biotechnology, bioengineering and other
high-tech, capital-intensive knowledge and
infrastructures to be showcased as
progressive solutions to environmental
damage. One could also expect a rather
urban, middle class profile of the
environment - in which pollution rather than
development and displacement would hold the
center stage of analysis. Unsurprisingly,
the court has already suggested to the
aforementioned three agencies to seek advice
from the Central Pollution Control Board as
they design the syllabi.
No less important, however, are the
presumably non-environmental issues of
academic freedom, on one hand, and political
freedom on the other. What arrogates the
court to decide what teachers must teach in
their classes, to mandate a certain thematic
not only for under-age school students but
also for mature adults at college? As it is,
the typical Indian school kid feels, and
most certainly is, overburdened mainly
because he or she must learn how to compress
to three momentous hours everything that has
been learnt over the course of one year. The
overburdening has already been cited by the
state of West Bengal and the NCERT as a
reason for their erstwhile reluctance to
follow the court's original directives.
However, under the new pressure, the
authorities have agreed to replace some of
the previous readings with environmental
themes. What that shows, though, is that the
solution to India's knowledge woes -
including in the environmental sector - lies
in a radical decentralization and
localization of education, in its being made
more intimate than exam-based: But the
ultimate solution may actually reside in the
removal of the government monopoly over
academic certification at all levels.
Last but not least, it is quite a stretch
for the court to suggest that the clause (g)
- which "requires every citizen to protect
and improve the natural environment ... and
to have compassion for all living creatures"
- also requires going through government
sermons on the environment, or that it is
extendable to commercial establishments such
as cinema halls. The imprudence in that
jurisprudence is echoed by an article by Shobita Punja,
"Learning to Care for their
World" (The Telegraph, Kolkata, December 3,
2003). Inspired by one of the hearings
through this long legal battle, Punja
argues: "On the same principle we really
need to make a similar petition regarding
the compulsory teaching of India's composite
heritage so that every child in this country
(who is privileged enough to have gone to
school) knows the fundamental duties of
every Indian (51A). Here too it is the
responsibility of every state government to
inform and teach our children how - clause
(e) and (f) - to promote harmony and the
spirit of brotherhood amongst all the people
of India transcending religious, linguistic
and regional or sectional diversities and to
value and preserve the rich heritage of our
composite culture".
I have a hunch that Punja has drawn the
right conclusions from the court's verdict:
It tells us to mistake state-sponsored
nationalism for environmentalism.
Judicial decision on raising awareness for
protection of environment: a case of India
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India
Supreme Court of India
Writ Petition (Civil) No. 860 of 1991
Before : Ranganath Misra, C.J.
G.N. Ray, J.
A.S. Anand, J.
Decided: 22 November 1991
Application by Advocate in the public
interest ? relief claimed under Article 32
of Constitution ? fundamental duty of every
citizen to protect and improve natural
environment under Article 51A(g) of
Constitution ? need for appropriate
awareness among the people about what the
law required ? application to Court to issue
appropriate directions to cinema halls,
radio and television, schools etc. for
creating awareness of social obligation to
protect environment.
The Petitioner was a practicing Advocate who
has consistently taken an interest in
matters relating to environment and
pollution. He made application under Article
32 of the Constitution for the Court to
issue appropriate directions to cinema halls
to exhibit slides, and radio and television
to broadcast programmes, containing
information and message relating to the
environment. He also asked that environment
be made a compulsory subject in schools and
colleges. The Petitioner made this
application on the basis that Article 51A(g)
of the Constitution imposed a fundamental
duty on every citizen to protect and improve
the natural environment. He argued that the
people should be educated about their social
obligations relating to the environment.
The Attorney-General, appearing for the
Union of India, did not contest the case and
agreed to cooperate to work out the
procedure by which some of the Petitioner's
prayers could be granted.
Held:
(1) No law can effectively work unless there
is an element of acceptance by the people in
society. In order that human conduct may be
in accordance with the prescription of law,
it is necessary that there should be
appropriate awareness about what the law
requires.
(2) Following the population explosion over
the last 50 years life has become
competitive and age-old norms of good living
are no longer followed. Against this
backdrop if laws are to be enforced and the
malaise of pollution kept under control, it
is necessary that people be made aware of
pollution and its consequences.
(3 Keeping the citizens informed is an
obligation of the Government.
(4) The Court therefore accepted in
principle the prayers made by the Petitioner
and expressed its satisfaction at the stand
taken by the Attorney-General.
(5) The Court issued the following
directions:
That State Governments and Union Territories
be directed to enforce as a condition of
license to all cinema halls the free
exhibition of at least two slides/messages
on environment which were to be provided b
the Ministry of Environment.
That the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting star producing short films on
environment and pollution.
That All-India Radio and Doordarshan take
steps to make and broadcast "interesting" programmes on environment.
That every State Government and Education
Board take steps to enforce compulsory
education on environment by the next
academic year.
The Petitioner was given leave to apply to
Court from time to time for further
directions if necessary.
The Order of the Court is as follows: This
application is in public interest and has
been filed by a practicing advocate of this
Court who has consistently been taking
interest in matters relating to environment
and pollution. The reliefs claimed in this
application under Art. 32 of the
Constitution are for issuing appropriate
directions to cinema exhibition halls to
exhibit slides containing information and
messages on environment free of cost;
directions for spread of information
relating to environment in national and
regional languages and for broadcast thereof
on the All India Radio and exposure thereof
on the television in regular and short term
programmes with a view to educating the
people of India about their social
obligation in the matter of the upkeep of
the environment in proper shape and making
them alive to their obligation not to act as
polluting agencies or factors. There is also
a prayer that environment should be made a
compulsory subject in schools and colleges
in a graded system so that there would be a
general growth of awareness. We had issued
notice to the Union of India on the petition
and the Central Government has immediately
responded.
2. Until 1972, general awareness of mankind
to the importance of environment for the
well-being of mankind had not been
appropriately appreciated though over the
years for more than a century there was a
growing realisation that mankind had to live
in tune with nature if life was to be
peaceful, happy and satisfied. In the name
of scientific development, man started
distancing himself from Nature and even
developed an urge to conquer nature. Our
ancestors had known that nature was not
subduable and therefore, had made it an
obligation for man to surrender to nature
and live in tune with it. Our Constitution
underwent an amendment in 1976 by
incorporating an Art. (51A) with the heading
"Fundamental Duties". C1. (g) thereof
requires every citizen to protect and
improve the natural environment including
forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to
have compassion for living creatures. Soon
after the international conference on
environment the Water Pollution Control Act
of 1974 came on the statute book; the Air
Pollution Control Act came in 1981 and
finally came the Environment Protection Act
of 1986.
3. Law is a regulator of human conduct as
the professors of jurisprudence say, but no
law can indeed effectively work unless there
is an element of acceptance by the people in
society. No law works out smoothly unless
the interaction is voluntary. In order that
human conduct may be in accordance with the
prescription of law it is necessary that
there should be appropriate awareness about
what the law requires and there is an
element of acceptance that the requirement
of law is grounded upon a philosophy which
should be followed. This would be possible
only when steps are taken in an adequate
measure to make people aware of the
indispensable necessity of their conduct
being oriented in accordance with the
requirements of law.
4. There has been an explosion of human
population over the last 50 years. Life has
become competitive. Sense of idealism in the
living process has systematically eroded. As
a consequence of this the age-old norms of
good living are no longer followed. The
anxiety to do good to the needy or for the
society in general has died out, oblivious
of the repercussions of one's actions on
society, everyone is prepared to do whatever
is easy and convenient for his own purpose.
In this backdrop if the laws are to be
enforced and the malaise of pollution has to
be kept under control and the environment
has to be protected in an unpolluted state
it is necessary that people are aware of the
vice of pollution and its evil consequences.
5. We are in a democratic polity where
dissemination of information is the
foundation of the system. Keeping the
citizens informed is an obligation of the
Government. It is equally the responsibility
of society to adequately educate every
component of it so that the social level is
kept up. We, therefore, accept on principle
the prayers made by the petitioner. We are
happy to find that the learned
Attorney-General who appeared for the Union
of India has also appreciated the stand of
the Petitioner and has even co-operated to
work out the procedure by which some of the
prayers could be granted.
6. We dispose of this writ petition with the
following directions:
(1) Respondents 1, 2 and 3 shall issue
appropriate directions to the State
Governments and Union Territories to
invariably enforce as a condition of license
of all cinema halls, touring cinemas and
video parlours to exhibit free of cost at
least two slides/messages on environment in
each show undertaken by them. The Ministry
of Environment should within two months from
now come out with appropriate slide material
which would be brief but efficiently carry
the message home on various aspects of
environment and pollution. This material
should be circulated directly to the
Collectors who are the licensing authorities
for the cinema exhibition halls under the
respective state laws for compliance without
any further direction and helping the cinema
halls and video parlours to comply with the
requirements of our order. Failure to comply
with our order should be treated as a ground
for cancellation of the license by the
appropriate authorities. The material for
the slides should be such that it would at
once be impressive, striking and leave an
Impact on every one who sees the slide.
(2) The Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting of the Government of India
should without delay start producing
information films of short duration as is
being done now on various aspects of
environment and pollution bringing out the
benefits for society on the environment
being protected and the hazards involved in
the environment being polluted. Mind
catching aspects should be made the central
theme of such short films. One such film
should be shown, as far as practicable, in
one show every day by the cinema halls and
the Central Government and the State
Governments are directed to ensure
compliance of this condition from February
1, 1992.
(3) Realising the importance of the matter
of environment and the necessity of
protecting it in an unpolluted form as we
had suggested to learned Attorney-General to
have a dialogue with the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting as to the
manner the All-India Radio and Doordarshan
can assist this process of education. We are
happy to indicate that learned
Attorney-General has told us that five to
seven minutes can be devoted every day and
there could be, once a week, a longer
programme. We do not want to project an
impression that we are authorities on the
subject, but we would suggest to the
programme controlling authorities of the
Doordarshan and the All-India Radio to take
proper steps to make interesting programmes
and broad cast the same on the radio and
exhibit the same on the television. The
national network as also the State
Doordarshan Centres should immediately take
steps to implement this direction so that
from February 1, 1992, regular compliance
can be made.
(4) We accept on principle that through the
medium of education awareness of the
environment and its problems related to
pollution should be taught as a compulsory
subject. Learned Attorney-General pointed
out to us that the Central Government is
associated with education at the higher
levels and the University Grants Commission
can monitor only the under-graduate and
post-graduate studies. The rest of it,
according to him, is a State subject. He has
agreed that the University Grants Commission
will take appropriate steps immediately to
give effect to what we have said, i.e.,
requiring the Universities to prescribe a
course on environment. They would consider
the feasibility of making this a compulsory
subject at every level in college education.
So far as education up to the college level
is concerned, we would require every State
Government and every Education Board
connected with education up to the
matriculation stage or even intermediate
colleges to immediately take steps to
enforce compulsory education on environment
in a graded way. This should be so done that
in the next academic year there would be
compliance of this requirement.
7. We have not considered it necessary to
hear the State Government and the other
interested groups as by now there is a
general acceptance throughout the world as
also in our country that protection of
environment and keeping it free of pollution
is an indispensable necessity for life to
survive on earth. If that be the situation,
every on must turn his immediate attention
to the proper care to sustain environment in
a decent way.
8. We dispose of the matter with the
aforesaid direction but give liberty to Mr.
Mehta to apply to the Court from time to
time for further directions, if necessary.
Note: Article 32(1) of the Indian
Constitution reads as follows: "The right to
move the Supreme Court by appropriate
proceedings for the enforcement of the
rights conferred by this Part is guaranteed." The
"Part" referred to is Part III dealing
with fundamental rights. Part IVA which
contains Article 51A setting out the
fundamental duties of every citizens was
added to the Constitution in 1976. The
Supreme Court has thus applied Article 32
(1) not only for the protection of
fundamental rights but also for the
enforcement of fundamental duties.
ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION UNIT
School curriculum will go green soon
The Karnataka State government will
introduce environment education as part of
curriculum in government and aided schools.
As an initial step, a pilot project that
started in 100 schools has just been
completed. Monitoring and assessment of the
programme will be conducted in February 2005
before being introduced from the next
academic year. DSERT deputy director
Gurumurthy told this website's newspaper
that the Supreme Court has stated that
environment should be part and parcel of
school curriculum.
The New Indian Express, Bangalore, 1supp,
Nov. 11, 2004
Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 19, 2003
Supreme Court wants environment in school
syllabus
By J. Venkatesan
New Delhi Dec. 18. The Supreme Court today
directed all the States and educational
agencies in the country to introduce
environment as a compulsory subject in all
classes in schools up to the higher
secondary level from the academic year
2004-05.
A Bench, comprising Justice N. Santosh Hegde
and Justice B.P. Singh, made it clear that
all States must comply with and implement
the apex court's 1991 order providing for
the inclusion of environment as a subject in
school and college syllabi. It warned the
States that contempt proceedings would be
initiated if they failed or neglected to
implement the steps proposed in their
respective affidavits.
It directed the National Council for
Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to
frame a model syllabus for the schools
keeping in view the 1991 judgment and submit
it before the court on or before April 14,
2004. The Bench said it would examine the
same and if found suitable would recommend a
uniform syllabus throughout the country. For
the college level, it asked the University
Grants Commission and the All-India Council
for Technical Education to coordinate and
bring out a uniform environment syllabus for
the college-level course.
The Bench asked the NCERT to take the
assistance of the Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) in drafting the syllabus module
for schools when the CPCB counsel, Vijay
Panjwani, told the court that the Board was
regularly publishing books, handbooks,
reports and magazines on environment.
In 1991, the apex court asked the
authorities to immediately take steps to
enforce compulsory education on environment
in a graded way from the academic year
1992-93.
Since this order was not implemented even
after 12 years, the petitioner, M.C. Mehta,
filed an application to ensure the
implementation of the earlier order. Most of
the States in their affidavits had stated
that they had implemented the apex court's
order in one way or the other.
Maharashtra
Environment Education Slippage
Environmental education was mandated as a
compulsory subject in all schools across the
country by the Supreme Court of India in
1991 following the filing of a PIL (public
interest litigation) by M.C. Mehta, India's
leading environmental lawyer and recipient
of the Magsaysay and Goldman awards. However
environmentalists, especially those
concerned with education in the country, are
voicing apprehensions that the apex court's
order is being shabbily implemented, if at
all.
In 12,000 schools affiliated to the
Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and
Higher Secondary Education a 100 marks
environmental studies (EVS) paper has been
introduced in class IX for the academic year
2005-2006, starting June, in keeping with
the SC order. The subject will be taught in
class X in 2006-07 when students from class
IX get promoted to class X next year.
According to Dr. Rashneh Pardiwala director
of the Mumbai based NGO, Centre for
Environment Research and Education (CERE)
and former scientific advisor to the World
Wild Life Fund for Nature (WWF) and
Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR),
this belated and lukewarm proposal of the
state examination board side-steps the apex
court's order. "We have spoken to Mr. Mehta
on the topic and together with him are going
to continue our fight to set it right," she
says.
The original Supreme Court order, issued in
1991 mandated compulsory environment
education to fulfill the fundamental duty of
citizens to "protect and improve the natural
environment," as set out in the Constitution
of India. In 2004, Mehta successfully
re-petitioned the Supreme Court of India to
enforce the 1991 court decision making
environment studies a compulsory subject at
all levels - primary and secondary - within
the school system with separate time
allocation. In his fight for effective
environment education, Mehta has been
consistently backed by CERE, which, through
the data received from its on-going project
'Documenting Successful Models of
Environmental Education across India' keeps
him informed about implementation progress
of the Supreme Court order across the
country. According to Katy Rustom, a
well-known Mumbai based environment
activist, who co-promoted CERE with
Pardiwala in 2001, environment education
mandated by the apex court is currently "in
a complete mess". "School managements across
the country don't have a clue about what
they are supposed to do and often take the
easy option of dishing out perfunctory
environment education to their students,"
she expostulates.
In its 1991 order the Supreme Court had
directed the central agencies of the
National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT), the University Grants
Commission (UGC) as well as the All India
Council for Technical Education to put their
heads together to formulate a well-graded
curriculum for schools and colleges. To this
end NCERT took the assistance of NGOs,
environmental educationists and other
experts in the country and formulated an
"action-oriented" curriculum. However, the
state examination boards felt that it would
be impossible to train their numerous
teachers and therefore the subject should be
taught through textbooks.
Explaining CERE's stand, Pardiwala says:
"Good environment education requires more
than providing mere scientific data on
global environment problems in textbooks.
Children must be taught and equipped with
practical skills to lead environmentally
sustainable lives from early childhood so
that as adults they will incorporate
environmentally sound practices and habits
in their daily lives. CERE will assist Mehta
and ensure that whichever board or state
does not address this subject seriously is
taken to task for contempt of court."
With the UN having declared the period
2005-14 as the Decade of Education for a
Sustainable Future and with runaway
consumerism threatening to suck the earth
dry, the need for well designed syllabuses
and curriculums to be implemented in letter
and spirit by education institutions has
become pressing. Educationists and school
managements need to give this neglected
subject the attention it deserves. The
future of this nation as a hospitable
habitation depends upon it.
The (sickly) Green Face of Indian Education
Call it the apathy of the Indian media to
environmental issues, blame an obsession
with flamboyant trivia such as India's rare
cricket win over Australia, or view it as a
measure of how much the media care about
education: An important recent mandate by
the Supreme Court to "green" curricula at
all levels of education received barely any
commentary, and only skimpy reports confined
to obscure corners of national newspapers.
Tracing the history of the case that
culminated in the December 18 court order
may itself constitute an academic exercise
of sorts. One would have to go all the way
back to 1991 when the court responded
favorably to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
that M C Mehta - perhaps the world's
best-known environmental lawyer - had filed
pleading the court to order education bodies
to introduce environmental studies as a
compulsory subject at all levels of Indian
education.
Mehta had made the plea invoking clause (g)
of article (51 A) of the constitution, "with
a view to educating the people of India
about their social obligation in matter of
upkeep of the environment in proper shape
and making them alive to their obligation
not to act as polluting agencies or
factors". Headed Fundamental Duties, article
(51 A) was incorporated into the Indian
constitution through an amendment in 1976;
its clause (g) "requires every citizen to
protect and improve the natural environment
including forests, lakes, rivers and wild
life and to have compassion for all living
creatures".
In its order, delivered on November 22,
1991, the court had directed the central
government, states, union territories and
educational organizations responsible for
prescribing syllabi to comply with its
ruling by the academic year 1992-1993; it
had also mandated commercial cinema halls to
allow a minimum number of free slide shows
on the theme of environmental protection and
asked authorities to cancel the licenses of
errant halls. However, in a not unusual
display of government agencies' indifference
to environmental concerns - especially as
expressed within the generally neglected
realm of education - the directive was
anything but honored.
So Mehta petitioned the court again on July
21, 2003, whereupon the court issued notices
to the same state agencies, seeking their
responses regarding the implementation of
its 1991 order. The court failed to receive
responses from all the parties within the
stipulated time; so on September 22 it
slapped a fine of Rs 15, 000 (US$329) each
on the 10 defaulting states, which it also
asked to file affidavits. Out of those 10
states, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Haryana failed to oblige even thereafter; so
on October 28 the court summoned their chief
secretaries to answer "why contempt of court
proceedings not be initiated against them
for deliberately disobeying the court
orders". (About a month later, on November
25, the court also had to issue notices to
Tamil Nadu regarding contradictions in its
request for exemptions from filing the
affidavit before the deadline; on December
9, the chief secretary apologized in that
regard on behalf of that state).
On December 18, in resuming the hearing of
Mehta's PIL, the court ordered all of the
same agencies to implement the same old
directive: now from the 2004-2005 academic
year. The situation now, however, is a
little different: This time the court has
taken it on itself to oversee the process
directly, one of whose chief elements
includes for it to approve the syllabi that
the agencies are ordered to turn in by April
14.
The court's order, though its own rehash
with a fresh and mandatory urgency, has a
wider context than has been acknowledged in
the press. (Of course, as noted earlier, the
Indian press has relegated this whole issue
to insignificance, even at the level of
news.) A number of factors actually point to
the probability that the order at best
extends and empowers the vapid and, in many
ways, crudely technocratic Indian
bureaucracy; at worst, it outclasses the
bureaucracy in its lack of imagination and
anti-democratic paternalism.
For one, it is ludicrous for the court to
assume that the myriad agencies that have
dishonored it for the past 12 years would
now be excited about and capable of
activating - genuinely teaching - the
syllabi in classrooms once they are designed
and introduced. Short of that, how is the
court going to ensure anything significant
in the sensitive area of education? The
court's own answer is of course increased
and closer supervision: but is that the
answer or a mere bureaucratic imitation -
hence prolonging - of the larger bureaucracy
called the government of India it has sought
to rectify?
The fact of the matter is that the Indian
education system, a single but formidable
component of the government, is an unwieldy
bureaucracy still firmly rooted in the
colonial past: Qualitatively it was the
branch of British colonial government
entrusted to breed clerks and petty
officials to serve the Crown;
administratively it was and continues to be
highly centralized, even though India has a
large number of universities, most of which
are geographically divided into small
colleges.
Anybody who has an Indian education is
likely to agree that most of it is based on
learning by rote and time-bound annual
exams. In such a system, enlightened
awareness and ethical consciousness of any
kind are hard to impart, cultivate, and
reward: Individual teachers have neither the
authority nor the training to design their
own syllabi or even exams. The exams, in
most cases occurring only once at the end of
the academic year, typically appear as
question papers secretly designed by
teachers discretely picked up by central
committees; as for their delivery, students
sit for three grueling hours to handwrite
answers they are supposed to have imbibed
along the year through memorization: to
time-tested questions constituting the
papers.
Contrary to what India's educated class
would like to believe (despite its often
vocal internal complaints and skepticism):
the mainstream Indian education system
typically desensitizes and standardizes
otherwise curious young minds - students and
freshly appointed teachers alike.
Complementing this counter-creativity
machine are the numerous standardized
competitive exams that high school and
college graduates are expected to pass in
order to become anybodies from bank clerks,
railway executives and insurance officials
to revenue collectors with state or central
government. (The great Indian family hardly
helps there as it steers its young members
deeper into self-centered career games for
the sake of pecuniary gains.)
By deliberately pushing the theme of
environment into this soulless quagmire
called Indian education, the court has paved
the way for the stultification of any
ecological consciousness that the Indian
youngster may have inherited from custom and
spiritual traditions. Worse, after going
through the mandatory courses, the young and
increasingly consumerist graduate might
actually begin to believe that he knows a
thing or two about the environment - more
than, let's say, the uneducated poor, the
scheduled tribes, or the "ecosystem people"
(a-la Madhav Gadgil and Ramchandra Guha). By
virtue of that self-congratulatory myopia,
he may in fact victimize India's social
ecology as well as himself. In a country
that can boast of only 65.38 percent
literacy, it is not difficult, especially
for the quasi-urban college graduate, to
consider himself smarter than the huge
illiterate minority.
Here, it is difficult to resist thinking
whether the court is not myopic itself:
After all, it is the same court that not too
long ago held activist and author Arundhati
Roy guilty for a contemptibly flimsy charge
of contempt of court, and which has quite a
reputation for flaunting its own immunity
from public criticism on the basis of the
same arcane, feudalistic law traceable to
the yester-century of British colonialism.
On that count, what is dreadful in the
current legal instance is the way the court
assumed the authority to verify and approve
uniform courses on environment for such an
ecologically, economically, linguistically
and culturally diverse region as India. The
court has sought that uniformity by
directing the central agencies of the
National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT), the University Grants
Commission and the All India Council of
Technical Education to coordinate among
themselves; but, again, those agencies are
altogether too removed from the local
geographical and classroom contexts within
which the courses they would suggest would
be taught.
For all that, those agencies are quite
likely - in some sense obligated - to
present a highly statist,
government-of-India view of the environment
and environmental problems: in which big
dams, for example, may well be touted as
ecological solutions rather than the
gargantuan headaches they really are.
Likewise, one could also expect
biotechnology, bioengineering and other
high-tech, capital-intensive knowledge and
infrastructures to be showcased as
progressive solutions to environmental
damage. One could also expect a rather
urban, middle class profile of the
environment - in which pollution rather than
development and displacement would hold the
center stage of analysis. Unsurprisingly,
the court has already suggested to the
aforementioned three agencies to seek advice
from the Central Pollution Control Board as
they design the syllabi.
No less important, however, are the
presumably non-environmental issues of
academic freedom, on one hand, and political
freedom on the other. What arrogates the
court to decide what teachers must teach in
their classes, to mandate a certain thematic
not only for under-age school students but
also for mature adults at college? As it is,
the typical Indian school kid feels, and
most certainly is, overburdened mainly
because he or she must learn how to compress
to three momentous hours everything that has
been learnt over the course of one year. The
overburdening has already been cited by the
state of West Bengal and the NCERT as a
reason for their erstwhile reluctance to
follow the court's original directives.
However, under the new pressure, the
authorities have agreed to replace some of
the previous readings with environmental
themes. What that shows, though, is that the
solution to India's knowledge woes -
including in the environmental sector - lies
in a radical decentralization and
localization of education, in its being made
more intimate than exam-based: But the
ultimate solution may actually reside in the
removal of the government monopoly over
academic certification at all levels.
Last but not least, it is quite a stretch
for the court to suggest that the clause (g)
- which "requires every citizen to protect
and improve the natural environment ... and
to have compassion for all living creatures"
- also requires going through government
sermons on the environment, or that it is
extendable to commercial establishments such
as cinema halls. The imprudence in that
jurisprudence is echoed by an article by Shobita Punja,
"Learning to Care for their
World" (The Telegraph, Kolkata, December 3,
2003). Inspired by one of the hearings
through this long legal battle, Punja
argues: "On the same principle we really
need to make a similar petition regarding
the compulsory teaching of India's composite
heritage so that every child in this country
(who is privileged enough to have gone to
school) knows the fundamental duties of
every Indian (51A). Here too it is the
responsibility of every state government to
inform and teach our children how - clause
(e) and (f) - to promote harmony and the
spirit of brotherhood amongst all the people
of India transcending religious, linguistic
and regional or sectional diversities and to
value and preserve the rich heritage of our
composite culture".
I have a hunch that Punja has drawn the
right conclusions from the court's verdict:
It tells us to mistake state-sponsored
nationalism for environmentalism.
SC Fines 10 States For Not Complying With
Its Orders
23rd September, 2003
The Supreme Court fined 10 states for Rs
15,000 each for not responding to an apex
court's notice on a petition that said that
these states have not complied with its 1991
order for introducing compulsory
environmental education in schools and
colleges.
A Bench of Justices N Santosh Hegde and B P
Singh imposed the fine on the governments of
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Goa, Jammu and
Kashmir, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
The bench gave four weeks time to these
states to deposit the fine in the Registry
and file their responses. The bench warned
that if order were not complied with, the
respective chief secretaries would be held
responsible.
These states have not complied with the
Supreme Court order that was issued about 12
years back. In a wide-ranging decision on
November 22, 1991, the apex court had asked
the University Grants Commission to
prescribe a course on environment at the
graduation and post-graduation level. Even
Education Boards in all states were asked to
introduce compulsory education on
environment in a graded way up to the
matriculation or even intermediate colleges.
"So far as education up to the college level
is concerned, we would require every state
government and every education board
connected with education up to the
matriculation or even intermediate colleges
to immediately take steps to enforce
compulsory education on environment in a
graded way," the apex court had said.
Environmental Education in India
I'd like to give you a basic idea of what
education is in India. In India education is
a free and fundamental right enshrined in
the constitution for all children up to 14
years of age. Now that's a very strong
statement if you look at it from its purest
sense. In reality there are many children
who still have no access to schools and
education. Legally speaking education is
free and compulsory up to 14 years of age.
And it's in the constitution.
Under the national policy for education
which was in 1986, the initially focus was
making sure that children were getting
admitted into schools. Government and NPOs
just worked to admit students nonstop
without following up as to what the rate of
achievement was, how long they continued to
stay in the schools, or what the drop out
rate was. These things were never looked
into. But now the focus is more on retention
and achievement rather than on enrollment.
They also try to standardize education at
different levels. For example the NCEIT
(National Council for Education and Research
in Training) is an institute that prepares
school curriculums and textbooks for the
whole country. This approach is a problem
because you cannot have the same type of
textbooks for the whole country in a country
like India. There isn’t too much point in
teaching children about the desert ecosystem
when you have children staying in a
subtropical ecosystem, and vise versa. So
now NPOs are trying to play a role in
helping such institutions develop
curriculum, textbooks.
Basically education is free and compulsory
and interventions are needed. There are
institutions working to develop such
textbooks and trying to integrate local
environmental programs and issues into the
school system.
In terms of higher education, just to give
you an idea, there are 207 universities in
India, which are the central universities,
besides these, there are also state run
universities. Universities are under what is
called the Union Grants Commission, which
takes care of each of this.
When we talk about environmental education,
like in many parts of the world,
environmental education is not a program of
the education department. Countries like
Australia have a much more specific focus
approach. It’s a pioneer country in terms of
environmental education, but in most Asian
and South Asian and maybe even the larger
Asian Pacific region, environmental
education is still not with the ministry of
education, but with the Ministry of the
Environment or other related ministries. In
India it is with the Ministry of Environment
and Forests and the Ministry of Human
Resource Development. These are the two
ministries, which are pushing environmental
education despite the fact that they have
nothing to do with education.
Talking about the legalities, interestingly,
just last week, in India, the supreme court
of India literally had to force the states
of India to have environmental education up
to grade 12. Unfortunately, the judgment to
have universal environmental education was
made in 1989. Till today, it is not being
implemented. So last week, the Supreme Court
in a libel action sued many of the states.
The suit included monetary fines to answer
why states are not doing anything about
environmental education.
Unfortunately, environmental education is
not a priority for education departments, or
even teachers. For many teachers it is not a
priority. It is an additional burden, an
additional subject when teachers already
don't have enough time to cover the regular
curriculum. For many teachers environmental
education is a science related subject. They
don't realize that it is a subject that can
be taught in humanities, art and in so many
other ways.
So basically environmental education is like
an orphan that is nobody's child. And when I
say environmental education is like an
orphan, I think it's even so in Japan. It's
like an orphan that no one wants to say,
"I'm the father," or "I'll take care of it."
Everyone wants to show some charity so they
look good in front of others. Everyone wants
to be linked somehow in environmental
education, but nobody wants to take full
responsibility of it. For example the
education department isn't yet.
In other experiences in India we have looked
at environmental education from a number of
ways. One is formal, which achieved very
little. Sometimes you have textbooks and you
have everything ready, but teachers are not
trained to be involving themselves in
environmental education.
There is also non-formal education and also
a lot of environmental education activities
that are donor driven. They don't have
anything to do with the country's national
policy or state policy, and some which are
policy driven.
We will focus more on the non-formal and
policy and donor driven activities as we go
along.
Who are we to teach?
When we talk of non-formal education and we
try to see who we are trying to teach, we
come face to face with people like these
(see photo): People who are called
"backward," because they don't wear Nike and
jeans like we do. People who are called
"underdeveloped" because they don't have
industries, cities and towns like we do. And
maybe their level of hygiene isn't as good
as ours in terms of not having a flush
toilet. But in terms of having full access
to fresh air and water these are the people.
In terms of indigenous knowledge systems,
these are the people that we try to source
from. We are talking of education and when
trying to go to real people, and not just
sit in a classroom and talk to a captive
audience of school children saying, "You
know children, this is water and this is
sand and this is soil." Trying to talk with
people who are older than us in age. People
that in everything they do is an issue of
their survival. When we deal with such a
diverse people, "Who are we to teach them?"
This is a basic question we always ask
ourselves first off before we even try to go
into a program with them.
Stage-wise Syllabus for Environmental
Education
Mission Statement
Creating a society of motivated citizens
committed to conservation, preservation and
protection of the environment and striving
towards a life in perfect harmony with
nature.
This mission could be achieved through
nurturance of young minds by developing an
awareness of and concern about the
environment and its associated problems. In
this process the learners will develop the
requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes,
motivation and commitment to work
individually and collectively towards a
better man-nature relationship. The
objectives could be realized through
appropriately designed expected learning
outcomes, content, activities and projects,
teaching-learning strategies, and evaluation
procedures separately for each stage of
school education. The following basic
assumptions were identified for all the
stages of schooling.
Basic Assumptions
* Environmental Education (EE) needs to be
designed for all students regardless of
their age, gender, and social, cultural and
economic background.
* All students need to achieve the necessary
awareness, knowledge, skills and
competencies as specified stage-wise and
grade-wise.
* All students need to be provided learning
opportunities in the form of multiple
experiences spread over the school years.
* The content of EE will begin with the
experiential background and immediate
environment of the learner and extend itself
to the global perspective in a graded
manner.
* Learners will internalize the concept of
absolute human dependence on the environment
and appreciate its value for survival of
life.
* Pedagogy of EE needs to be culture
specific, and commensurate with the
developmental stages of the learner.
* Community involvement is integral to the
process of teaching and learning of EE.
School community mutuality needs to be
established and strengthened.
* Every teacher has to be a teacher of EE
and will also act as a curriculum
constructor.
* Teacher education programmes, both
pre-service and in-service, would have to be
suitably reformulated.
* Specific evaluation procedures need to be
evolved.
* Effective administrative and monitoring
mechanisms need to be established.
Stage-wise Syllabus for Environmental
Education
Primary Stage
Classes I-V
1. Expected Learning Outcomes
The learner
* recognises common objects, plants and
animals in the immediate surroundings;
* acquires skills of observation, collection
of information, classification, description
and self-expression concerning various
phenomena of the environment;
* observes simple rules of healthy living,
safe storage of food and water and practises
proper ways of waste disposal;
* develops habits for protection of the self
and surroundings;
* expresses love for the environment through
drawing, painting, dancing, singing,
gardening, tree plantation and other
activities;
* takes care of and shows concern for all
living beings;
* develops attitudes desirable for
conservation of environment; and
* imbibes values like love for nature,
respect for rights of animals, care of
plants and other living beings and
protection of the environment.
2. Content
Classes I- II
In Classes I and II the entire transaction
process is to be woven around the child's
immediate envrionment with the teacher being
perceived as a curriculum constructor. The
curriculum for EE for these classes will be
transacted through language, mathematics and
the Art of Healthy and Productive Living (AHPL).
I. Child's Environment
* Child's immediate environment (family and
home, school and friends, animals, plants
and objects)
* Common animals, birds and plants in the
local environment
* Physical features of the local area like
flora, fauna, landscape
II. Environment and Child's Needs
* Need for food, water, shelter, play and
recreation
* Protection from accidents, sharp objects,
fire and the like
III. Cleanliness and Care of the Environment
* Personal cleanliness and good habits
* Keeping personal belongings neat and tidy
* Keeping the surroundings clean (home, play
area, classroom and school)
* Taking care of plants and animals
Exemplar Activities
The activities given below are only
suggestive and not exhaustive. Teachers may
innovate and design activities suited to
their own surroundings and the level and
interest of children
* Providing opportunities to observe beauty,
symmetry, rhythm and variety in nature
* Encouraging observation of plants,
animals, objects, sites, situations,
happenings and occurrences
* Encouraging collection of different types
of objects from the environment
* Conducting nature walks
* Narrating stories and real life incidents
* Promoting use of charts, pictures, puzzles
and cut-outs
* Encouraging care of plants and animals
* Encouraging participation in activities
like clay modelling, paper cutting and
folding
* Involving children in drawing and painting
objects and pictures
* Helping children in taking care of self
and maintaining cleanliness of surroundings
* Organising dramas, role plays and
simulations
* Guiding children in developing proper
healthy habits and strengthening these
periodically through follow-up
* Sharing children's experiences through
simple discussions
* Conducting related to nature and
environment games
* Organising recitation of songs and poems
* Organising visits to parks, orchards,
farms, gardens, museums
Classes III-V
EE is a separate subject in these classes in
the form of environmental studies. Greater
focus would be needed to develop skills,
proper habits and positive attitudes towards
environment.
Exemplar Activities
The opportunities are only suggestive and
not exhaustive. Teachers may innovate and
design activities suitable to their own
surroundings and the level and interest of
children.
* Providing experiences to observe beauty,
symmetry, rhythm and variety in nature.
* Encouraging observation of plants,
animals, objects, sites, situations,
happenings and occurrences.
* Encouraging collection of different types
of objects from the surroundings and their
preservation.
* Conducting activities for comparison and
classification of objects based on their
simple physical characteristics.
* Conducting nature walks.
* Narrating stories and real life incidents.
* Promoting collection, preparation and use
of charts, posters, pictures, puzzles and
cut-outs.
Themes
Class III
Class IV
Class V
1. The Environment:
Near and Far
* Things around us -living and non-living
* Living things plants and animals
* Physical similarities and differences
between human beings and animals
* External body parts,
* Physical features of the locality
* The earth, the sun, the moon and the stars
* Similarities and differences between
living and non-living things
* Parts of a plant and their functions -
roots, stem, leaf, flower and seed
* Main internal organs of the body - names
and their recognition
* Physical features of the locality -
natural and man-made changes like roads,
buildings, dams, canals, drains, markets,
factories, boats, railways
* Simple natural phenomena-day and night,
thunder and lightning, rainbow
* Meaning of the environment-living and
non-living and interaction between them
* Similarities and differences between
plants and animals
* Main internal organs (lungs, heart and
stomach) of human body and their functions
* Physical features of hills, plains,
deserts, valleys
* General features of people, plants and
animals of these regions
* Importance of plants and animals - land
and water
* Weather and climate (local), their effects
on daily life
II. Environment and Child's Needs
Food, Water and Air
* Need for clean food, air and water
* Different types of food
* Sources of food and water
* Need for variety of food items
* Safe storage and ways of handling of food
and water
* Dependence on environment for food
* Healthy combination of food items
* Different types of food - body building,
energy providing and protective (against
diseases)
Shelter
Clothing
Functions and Festivals
Health and Hygiene
Transport and communication
III. Core and Protection of the Environment
III. Taking Care of the Surroundings
* Shelters of other living beings (nests,
caves, burrows, water bodies)
* Qualities of a good shelter (house) for
safe and healthy living (sunlight,
ventilation and sanitation)
* Need for clothes, types of clothes,
keeping them clean
* Celebrations in the school and community
singing
* Family functions and their importance
* Various means of recreation at home-story
books, games, radio, television
* Need to take care of the different parts
of the body
* Proper habits for personal cleanliness and
good health
* Care of belongings and immediate
surroundings (School, home and neighbourhood)
* Means of transport in the locality
* Modes of communication
* Need for following safety rules at home,
at the school and on the road
* Natural resources air, water and soil
* Factors responsible for contamination of
air and water
* Simple ways to minimize contamination of
air and water
* Keeping the surroundings clean avoiding
spitting, littering, plucking leaves and
flowers, scratching/defacing walls/tree
trunks, throwing things into
drains/water-bodies
* Care of plants and animals including pets
in the locality
* Types of houses in relation to different
climates
* Materials used to construct houses
* Sources of raw material for clothes
(plants and animals)
* Different types of clothes worn in various
physical and cultural environments
* Celebration of festivals and national days
* Types of recreational activities in the
locality _ fairs, games, folk dances, music,
weekly markets, story books, games, radio,
television, drama and puppetry
* Different kinds of waste at home and in
school
* Effect of waste on surroundings-littering,
flies, mosquitoes, rodents, foul smell
* Proper ways of waste disposal at home,
school and in the neighbourhood
* Various modes of transport
* Need for communication, its means and
utility (post, telephone, newspaper, radio
and television)
* Traffic symbols, safety rules and need for
following them
* Acquaintance with natural resources
forest, water, animals, food, energy and
land
* Need for preserving resources
* Ways of saving food, water, fuel and
electricity at home and at the school
* Pollution of air, water, land and the
factors responsible for this
* Ways of minimizing pollution re-use and
recycling of waste material
* Local agencies responsible for waste
disposal
* Care of the old, the sick, young children
and children with special needs
* Need for taking care of public property
* Local agencies involved in community
services and their roles
* Buildings in the locality - school,
panchayat ghar, health centre, post office,
railway station, police station. Need for
their proper maintenance
* Different types of fibers and their
sources (plants, animals and man-made)
* Various stages in making of fabrics
* Celebration of important national and
international days
* Types of recreational activities in the
locality - fairs, games, folk dances, music,
weekly markets, story books, games, radio,
television, drama and puppetry
* Some common infectious diseases-common
cold, flue, diarrhea
* Precautions for maintaining proper health
and protection against infectious diseases
* First aid as a safety measure
* Personnel responsible for community health
and hygiene
* Effect of advancement in transport and
communication systems on environment and
human life
* Simple measures to be practiced to reduce
pollution related to air, water and noise
* Major natural resources need for their
preservation and conservation
* Renewable and non-renewable sources of
energy
* Interdependence of human beings, plants
and animals
* Deforestation and urbanization and their
effect on the environment
* Common ways of water conservation, water
harvesting
* Care of parks, gardens, orchards, ponds,
wells, sanctuaries, museums and historical
monuments
* Simple safety measures in the event of
fire, earthquake, flood
* Organising picnics and visits to different
places (local sites, museums, historical
monuments, parks, orchards, farms, gardens)
and following them up with discussions.
* Encouraging care and adoption of plants
and animals.
* Encouraging participation in activities
like clay modelling, making masks, puppetry,
paper cutting and folding.
* Involving children in drawing and painting
objects and pictures.
* Helping children in taking care of self
and maintaining cleanliness.
* Guiding children in developing proper
healthy habits and strengthening them
periodically through follow-up.
* Sharing children's experiences through
simple discussions.
* Helping children to maintain a garden or
take care of plants at the school and at
home.
* Involving children in planting and taking
care of trees.
* Guiding observations regarding level of
cleanliness of different sites and in
labelling them as clean or dirty, hygienic
or unhygienic and polluted or unpolluted.
* Organising individual and group activities
for maintaining cleanliness of school and
classroom.
* Promoting proper ways of waste disposal at
home, at the school and in the neighbourhood.
* Making use of dry leaves, flowers, waste
materials and natural products in decoration
of school and home.
* Involving children in activities through
eco-clubs, nature clubs, school health clubs
and eco-corners.
* Conducting nature and environment related
games.
* Organising recitation of songs and poems.
Teaching-Learning Strategies
At the primary stage strategies of
teaching-learning EE would vary within
different contexts and the teachers will
have to select the most appropriate ones
according to the needs of the learners. Some
of the suggested strategies are given below:
* Providing direct experiences through field
visits and interactions.
* Encouraging learners' participation in
joyful activities utilising local resources.
* Providing opportunities for observation of
natural phenomena and helping learners
appreciate them.
* Creating curiosity among learners through
teacher demonstrations.
* Helping learners acquire interpersonal and
social skills through group activities.
* Providing opportunities for
hands-on-experiences to learners.
* Encouraging learners to observe and
experiment with their ideas.
* Providing opportunities for observation,
collection, classification, estimation and
measurement.
* Providing opportunities for drawing
pictures, charts and maps.
4. Evaluation
The focus in evaluation of EE at this stage
would be on assessment of socio-emotional
development and behavioural patterns
(actions) of the learners besides their
cognitive learning. Continuous and
comprehensive evaluation using learners'
profiles and assigning them grades would be
desirable. Periodical assessment may be
utilized for diagnosis as well as for
planning remedial measures. Evaluation
practices would be informal in Classes I and
II and both informal and formal in Classes
III to V.
Multiple approaches and instruments can be
used for monitoring and assessing desirable
behavioural changes in learners. Teachers
may select strategies from the following, or
evolve their own, for assessing the progress
of learners.
* Observing learners while they are involved
in activities individually or in groups
* Maintaining learners' profile
* Assessing learners' participation in
co-scholastic and field activities
* Using worksheets periodically
* Assessing learners' progress through
opinion of teachers, peers, parents and
community members Using group evaluation
* Undertaking institutional evaluation
Upper Primary Stage
Classes VI-VIII
1. Expected Learning Outcomes
The learner
* understands facts and concepts concerning
various aspects of the environment;
* recognises dependence of human life on
environment; identifies local and region
specific environmental problems;
* understands the role of individuals,
society and the government in protection,
preservation and conservation of
environment;
* develops awareness about rules,
regulations and legal provisions for
protection, preservation and conservation of
the environment;
* develops skills of observation,
collection, comparison, classification,
analysis and communication; makes judicious
use of resources;
* adopts proper ways for management and
disposal of waste;
* develops awareness, desirable skills and
attitudes and appreciation for the
protection, preservation and conservation of
the environment and cultural heritage; and
* imbibes values like love and respect for
nature and its laws, respect for the rights
of others including animals.
2. Content
The content of EE will have to be further
strengthened in its cognitive, affective and
co- native components by providing
additional inputs in the form of
investigations, projects, co-scholastic
activities and the like. This will
facilitate development of necessary
awareness, attitudes and skills for
promoting positive participatory action.
Class VI
I. Knowing the Environment
* The environment - social and natural
* Human dependence on the environment
* Interdependence of plants and animals
II. Natural Resources and their Utilizations
* Natural resources - air, water, land (soil
and minerals) and sunlight (energy);
significance for growth, development and
survival of all organisms
* Utilizations of resources for
developmental and social activities _
production of food, electricity and fuels,
construction and other infrastructure
* Overutilization of resources
III. Waste Generation
* Generation of waste and its sources
* Types of waste - solid, liquid and gaseous
* Hazards of waste accumulation
* Waste, community health and sanitation.
IV. Management of Waste
* Waste and its disposal solid waste
(physical removal and dumping), liquid waste
(drainage and sewer system) and gaseous
waste (discharged directly into air)
* Conditions for proper waste management
co-operation of individuals and community;
proper functioning of governmental and local
bodies
Exemplar Activities
The activities suggested below are neither
exhaustive nor prescriptive. Teachers may
design their own set of activities keeping
in view the overall objectives of teaching
and learning of EE at this stage. They will
have to make use of local flora and fauna
and the available resources and facilities
and take cognizance of local environmental
problems. The learners should be encouraged
to initiate action on their own.
* Guiding learners to identify various
sources from which items of daily use are
obtained and helping them to group these as
:
- plants and animals
- soil, air and water
- fuels
- metals
- plastics
* Organising visit to a nearby locality
(market/colony/village pond) and guiding
learners in collecting information about:
- prevailing sanitary conditions (littering
or accumulation of garbage, absence or
choking of drains)
- system for disposal of solid waste managed
by the residents and civic agencies
- flies, mosquitoes and other insects,
rodents and stray animals thriving on the
accumulated garbage/stagnant water
This may be followed by organising
discussions amongst learners on the sanitary
conditions of the visited site and helping
them infer possible Impact on the
environmental conditions. Suggestions for
improving the situation may also be invited.
* Encouraging learners to motivate residents
to use dustbins or garbage pits
* Acquainting learners with various agencies
responsible for maintaining civic facilities
in the area and guiding them to seek their
attention for maintaining cleanliness
* Arranging visits to nearby river, pond,
well or community water tap/hand pump and
guiding learners to collect information
about
- the extent of wastage of water
- possible sources of the contamination or
pollution of water
- condition of cleanliness and drainage
This may be followed by organising
discussions to initiate appropriate follow
up action to improve the situation.
* Encouraging learners to:
- check for leakage of taps at the school
and at home and take appropriate measures to
minimise wastage of water.
- switch off electric lights, fans, TV and
other gadgets when not in use.
* Organising
debates/discussions/exhibitions/talks on
environment issues in the school and
encouraging learners to participate in them.
Class VII
I. Environment and Natural Resources
* Water - a precious resource; essential for
life and life activities, a habitat of
plants and animals (fresh and marine),
sources of water (fresh and marine) _ rain,
snow, ponds, wells, lakes, rivers and seas.
* Air - atmosphere as reservoir of air; role
of atmosphere _ a blanket for the earth, for
maintaining humidity and temperature, a
source of gases and medium for dispersal of
gaseous wastes.
* Soil - a medium for growth of plants,
types of soil, habitat for organisms,
facilitator for percolation and retention of
water.
* Forests - a habitat for plants and
animals, an agent for percolation and
retention of water; maintaining ground water
level; prevention of soil erosion;
maintaining air humidity; a source of
firewood, timber, fruits, lac, resins and
medicinal plants.
II. Man and Environment
* Response of living beings to changes in
environment adaptation in plants and
animals.
* Modification of environment by human
beings to protect themselves against changes
and meet their needs.
* Effect of human activities and population
growth on agriculture, harnessing of energy,
housing, industrial development and other
areas of consumption and social activities
(an elementary idea).
* Consequences of human activities - stress
on land use, water sources, energy and
mineral resources; forests, ocean life;
environmental degradation.
* Role of individuals in maintaining peace,
harmony and equity in nature; good
neighbourly behaviour; use and misuse of
common property resources.
Exemplar Activities
The activities suggested below are neither
exhaustive nor prescriptive. Teachers may
design their own set of activities keeping
in view the overall objectives of teaching
and learning of EE at this stage. They will
have to make use of local flora and fauna
and the available resources and facilities
and take cognisance of local environmental
problems. The learners should be encouraged
to initiate action on their own.
* Getting samples of soil collected from
various places and guiding learners to study
similarities and differences between them
based on their physical characteristics.
* Arranging visits to nearby localities and
guiding learners to study the relation
between the types of vegetation and the
nature of soil.
* Asking learners to collect samples of
rainwater in the beginning and midway
through a rain spell and helping them to
compare the samples for impurities present
there in.
* Collecting information from different
sources for two weeks (through newspapers,
radio and television) about temperature,
humidity and rainfall and guiding learners
to study the pattern of change in respect of
each parameter.
* Helping the learners collect information
from different sources (elders in the
community, newspapers, television, Internet
and official records) about the water bodies
like ponds, wells, jhohars lost in the
locality, village or region. Helping
learners to find out the reasons (like
silting, disuse, filling for reclamation of
land). Organising discussions on the Impact
of these changes on availability of water,
vegetation, habitat and social life.
* Involving learners in collecting
information about changes in land use,
availability of water, forests, livestock
and mineral resources of the
locality/village/region from different
sources (elders in the community,
newspapers, television, Internet and
official records) and organsing discussions.
* Asking learners to list the crops grown in
their area and helping them to prepare a
record about the sowing season, duration of
maturity, sources and periodicity of
irrigation and yield of each crop.
* Asking learners to collect information
about the prevalent methods of growing
plants for forestry in the region.
* Encouraging learners to plant trees in the
school compound (or any other area) and to
look after them (This may be introduced as a
class/group activity as a part of van
mahotsva programme wherever possible)
* Organising visits to nearby localities to
show how plantation prevents soil erosion
* Guiding learners to identify and collect
relevant information about commercial,
industrial or social activities at the local
level that may have an Impact on the
environment; guiding them to disseminate the
information through handouts and school
bulletin board
* Helping learners make collections of
clippings of news items, features,
photographs, posters, cartoons,
advertisements or any other format about
various issues of environment including
community hygiene, sanitation and pollution;
guiding them to collate and disseminate the
information through charts, posters,
collages, bulletin boards or any other mode
* Organising co-scholastic activities like
observance of world environment day and van
mahotsava, eco-clubs, study tours, debates,
exhibitions and quiz competitions, and
encouraging learners to participate actively
in them
Class VIII
I. Balance in Nature
* Eco-system interaction between living and
non-living components, structure and
function;
* Energy flow through ecosystem (food chain,
food webs); examples of terrestrial and
marine food chains; and
* Balance in nature importance of
eco-system.
II. Impact of Population on Environment
* Impact of population growth on eco-system,
human settlements, land distribution,
* Stress due to population growth on common
social facilities and civic services;
* Increase in consumption, encroachment on
monuments
III. Harnessing Resources
* Increase in consumption, encroachment on
monuments
* Sources of energy - renewable and
non-renewable sources, availability and
potential (Indian context);
* Renewable sources - solar, wind,
hydro-energy, ocean (tidal), biomass
including bio wastes;
* Non-renewable sources - coal, petroleum
and its products, natural gas;
* Agriculture and animal husbandry - Impact
on environment;
* Utilisation of resources for Industry -
processing and production of goods; need for
planning and management; adoption of
efficient and environment friendly
technologies; industrial waste management
practices; and
* Environmental concerns- regional and
national.
IV. Environmental Pollution — Cause and
Effect
* Emerging lifestyles in modern societies -
overutilisation of resources; increasing
consumption of energy (electricity and
fuels), materials and facilities; synthetic
materials — plastics, detergents, paints and
refrigerants; advantages and disadvantages
of using them.
* Factors affecting environment -
overexploitation of resources, population
growth, industrialisation, use of synthetic
materials.
* Pollution of soil, air and water -
sources, Impact on physical environment and
all forms of life, control and preventive
measures (modern and traditional):
* Noise pollution sources, Impact and
preventive measures.
* Disasters - natural and man-made, major
types and their causes, Impact on
environment and human life.
* Impact of environmental degradation on -
natural habitats, living forms (endangered
and extinct species) and domestic animals.
* Impact of environmental pollution on human
health - indoor and outdoor pollution,
pollution related diseases (respiratory,
dietary, physiological, genetic,
psychological), occupational hazards and
disorders (local examples).
* Role of individuals, community and
government in planning, decision-making,
legislation and social action for prevention
of pollution and improvement of environment.
Exemplar Activities
The activities suggested below are neither
exhaustive nor prescriptive. Teachers may
design their own set of activities keeping
in view the overall objectives of teaching
and learning of EE at this stage. They will
have to make use of local flora and fauna
and the available resources and facilities
and take cognizance of local environmental
problems. The learners should be encouraged
to initiate action on their own.
* Helping learners to collect samples of
water from different available sources -
potable water, drain water, water stagnant
in pits, industrial or factory discharge;
guiding them to compare their physical
characteristics and presence of suspended
impurities and living organisms.
* Guiding learners to conduct surveys in
nearby localities about number of trees,
types of trees, the products and other
benefits obtained from them.
* Helping learners to observe and find out
advantages and disadvantages of growing
crops by transplantation and by sowing
seeds.
* Guiding learners in making plans for
kitchen garden or school garden, identifying
suitable plants/ trees, undertaking
plantation and looking after them.
* Helping learners in preparing a list of
local cottage industries and in collecting
information about the types of raw
materials, modes of procurement and disposal
of waste. This may be followed by organising
discussions to infer the possible Impact of
these activities on the environment.
* Guiding learners to prepare charts
depicting different types of food chains or
food webs.
* Organising visits to some of the sites
like agricultural fields, factories, fairs,
ponds, seacoast, tourist spots, garbage
dumps in the locality and helping learners
to record the prevailing environmental
conditions.
* Helping learners to identify commercial,
social and cultural activities that may have
a short term and/or long term Impact on
environment; organising discussions to
interpret the collected information to infer
its Impact on the environment. The possible
sources of information could be news items,
features, photographs, posters, cartoons
appearing in newspapers, magazines, journals
or through questionnaires and personal
interviews about one or more of the
following :
- air, water, land and noise pollution;
- per capita availability/consumption of
water, electricity and land;
- sources of potable water, water treatment
plants, and wastage of water;
- quantity of solid, liquid, degradable,
non-degradable waste of the city;
- methods of disposal of wastes - drainage
systems, sewer treatment plant, industrial
effluents;
- sources of electricity, losses during
transmission and utilisation of electricity;
- sources of pollution of water bodies
including oceans
- droughts, floods, cyclones, and their
Impact on environment;
- environmental problems caused due to
developmental activities such as
construction of roads, buildings, large
dams;
- poaching/hunting of wild animals, illegal
trading of animals’ skin, paws, horns,
ivory, cruelty toward animals;
- damage to forests by fires and diseases;
- deforestation, extinction of species
especially that of wildlife;
- impact of overgrazing in a given
area/region;
- programmes/projects related to protection
and conservation of environment, success
stories on these efforts;
- maintenance of wildlife parks, sanctuaries
and forest reserves;
- rules, laws, legislations concerning
environmental issues enacted by the
government from time to time; and
- agencies engaged in tackling environmental
problems.
Guiding learners in communicating their
findings through appropriate modes (like
posters, charts, collages, cartoons,
handouts, letters, street plays, rallies,
campaigns) to all concerned. Small
individual or group reports will be prepared
for discussions.
* Providing opportunities to learners to
participate in campaigns organised by
different agencies like NGOs, welfare
associations, media for drawing attention of
the community and/or local authorities to
improve environmental conditions
* Organising co-scholastic activities like
observance of the World Environment Day and
van mahotsava, eco-clubs, study tours,
debates, and quiz competitions and
encouraging learners to participate in them
3. Teaching-Learning Strategies
The teaching-learning strategies for EE at
this stage are to be designed in keeping
with the local environmental conditions,
both natural and social. At the same time,
it should also aim at helping learners to
develop a global perspective of the
environment and problems related to it. The
most important parameter, however, to be
considered while designing teaching learning
situations would be to provide adequate
emphasis on the development of positive
attitude as well as love and respect for the
environment. This implies that a conscious
effort has to be made to provide enough
opportunities to the learners to participate
in a variety of activities.
In order to transact EE effectively at the
upper primary stage, an appropriate
combination of the following strategies may
be adopted:
* Focusing on mastery of basic skills by
frequent drilis and repetition of relevant
exercises
* Creating and arranging situations for
observation of natural phenomena
* Organising demonstrations and involving
learners in discussions
* Providing opportunities to identify simple
environment related problems and study them
through surveys and projects
* Helping learners to acquire interpersonal
and social skills to accomplish tasks
through group learning
* Providing opportunities to learners to use
their imagination and visualise their roles
in attempting to find alternate solutions to
environmental problems
* Organising group activities and group
discussions
* Organizing activity based learning
* Providing hands-on experience sessions
* Providing opportunities to develop skills
of communicating their perceptions and ideas
in verbal, written and visual forms like
pictures, cartoons, maps, charts
* Organising field visits and field
interaction followed by discussions
* Utilising various types of resource
materials, both in print and non-print, as
well as expertise available in the community
4. Evaluation
The assessment of learners’ achievement in
EE would encompass all the three aspects of
development, i.e., cognitive, affective and
conative. Both process and product
evaluation techniques will need to be used.
These will help in ascertaining the growth
patterns, identification of strengths and
weaknesses as also in utilising systematic
feedback for development of environment
friendly habits, positive attitudes and
desirable values amongst learners.
Continuous and comprehensive evaluation
using learners profiles and assigning them
grades would be desirable.
Proper records of learners’ progress would
need to be maintained and their profiles, so
developed, would be utilised for effecting
improvement leading to desirable
understanding and behavioural actions
towards the environment.
A multi-pronged approach to evaluation
meeting local needs would have to be evolved
by the teachers in the context of EE.
Multiple approaches and instruments can be
used for monitoring and assessment of
desirable behavioural changes in the
learners. This could be accomplished by
carefully observing the learners
individually as well as in groups during
participation in field activities,
excursions, discussions, project work and
co-scholastic activities. In addition,
assessing learners’ progress by peers,
parents, teachers and community members
could also be undertaken. It would also be
desirable to undertake institutional
evaluation.
Secondary Stage
Classes IX-X
1. Expected Learning Outcomes
The learner
* understands eco-systems and their
interrelations;
* develops awareness about the utilisation,
overexploitation of natural resources;
* recognises the need for keeping pollution
under control for maintaining quality of
life;
* develops ability to identify, analyse and
reflect upon different environmental
concerns;
* acquires skills to collect, analyse and
interpret data and information relating to
environmental problems;
* develops skills for effectively tackling
problems related to the local environment;
* adopts habits helps makes judicious
utilisation of resources and materials for
maintaining balance in nature;
* acquires leadership qualities through
participation in specifically designed
activities;
* develops love, affection, sensitivity and
sense of responsibility towards all living
beings;
* participates in activities and programmes
for protecting, preserving and conserving
environment and its resources;
* appreciates and respects legal provisions
for protection of animals and plants; and
* imbibes the essence of environmental
values and ethics to live in harmony with
nature.
2. Content
The focus of EE will be on developing
healthy attitudes and encouraging positive
actions through activities, projects, field
interactions and co-scholastic activities.
Ability to establish cause-effect
relationships would also be nurtured. This
is the right stage for further strengthening
value inculcation, habit formation, and
development of commitment towards protecting
the environment. The learners will acquire
all the skills necessary for creative,
productive and successful adult life.
Class IX
I. Understanding Ecosystem
* Types of ecosystem - forest, grassland,
desert, aquatic, costal, marine
* Interaction between biotic and abiotic
factors in an eco-system
* Energy flow and its importance, cycles of
nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic (fresh
water and marine) ecosystems, nature’s
mechanism in maintaining balance
* Destruction of ecosystem due to changing
patterns of land use; factors responsible
for this _ population growth, migration,
industrialisation and urbanisation, dwelling
units, transport; encroachment on water
bodies, forests and agricultural land,
shifting cultivation; facilities for
tourism, pilgrimage, recreation and
adventure; construction of large dams,
mining and war
* Impact of ecosystem destruction - loss of
habitat, stress on resources
* Conservation of ecosystem - alternative
practices including indigenous conservation
practices, planning for proper land use
* Role of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
in maintaining the quality of the
environment
II. Depletion of Resources
* Natural resources -air, water, soil,
metals, minerals, forests and fuels,
* Causes of depletion of resources
-over-use/irrational use, non-equitable
distribution of resources, technological and
industrial development, population growth
* Impact of resource depletion - imbalance
in nature, shortage of materials, struggle
for existence; slackening of economic growth
* Practices for conservation of resources -
search for alternatives, promotion of
renewable resources
III. Waste Generation and Management
* Sources of waste - domestic, industrial,
agricultural, and commercial
* Classification of waste - bio-degradable,
non-biodegradable; toxic, non-toxic,
bio-medical
* Impact of waste accumulation - spoilage of
landscape, pollution, health hazards, effect
on terrestrial and aquatic (fresh water and
marine ) life
* Need for management of waste
* Methods of safe disposal of waste -
segregation, dumping, composting, drainage,
treatment of effluents before discharge,
incineration, use of scrubbers and
electrostatic precipitators
* Need for reducing, reusing and recycling
waste
* Legal provisions for handling and
management of waste
IV. Environmental Values and Ethics
* Human rights, fundamental duties and value
education
* Women and Child Welfare
Exemplar Activities
The activities suggested below are neither
exhaustive nor prescriptive. Teachers may
design their own set of activities keeping
in view the overall objectives of teaching
and learning of EE at this stage. They will
have to make use of local flora and fauna
and the available resources and facilities
and take cognizance of local environmental
problems. The learners should be encouraged
to initiate action on their own.
Arranging visits to a few establishments in
the locality like motor repair workshops,
kilns, pottery making units, fish and
vegetable markets, restaurants and dyeing
units and helping learners to find out the
types of waste and methods prevalent for its
disposal; organising discussions on the
information collected to suggest measures
for improving the environmental conditions
* Helping learners prepare reports on
changing patterns of land use during the
last five years in the village, city, region
and state through collection of information
from different sources about the area of the
land utilised for:
- housing,
- markets, hospitals, schools and other
facilities,
- construction of roads, and
- industries
* Discussing the possibility of finding
economical and environment friendly
alternatives to deal with the scarcity of
resources like fuels in the locality
* Organizing visits of learners to nearby
hospitals or health centres and helping them
collect information about diseases caused
due to the prevailing environmental
conditions
* Helping learners plan and execute
awareness campaigns through community
participation on major environmental
problems at the local and/or national level
like deforestation, energy conservation, air
pollution due to automobiles and noise
pollution
* Encouraging learners to disseminate
information through bulletin boards and
school magazines, about the Impact of
construction of large dams, natural
disasters like floods, droughts or cyclones
on ecosystem
* Helping learners list different types of
industries in the states and collect
information about the types of raw materials
used, modes of their procurement and
disposal of wastes generated; organising
discussions to classify these industries as
polluting or environment friendly and
suggesting possible ways of reducing
pollution caused by these units
Class X
I. Restoring Balance in Ecosystem
* Need for adopting control measures to
check spoilage of landscape
* Need for conservation and management of
water -integrated water shed management,
recharging of ground water including rain
water harvesting, development of appropriate
technology
* Conservation and management of forests,
grasslands, and semi arid ecosystems
* Conservation and management of ocean
resources marine and coastal eco-systems,
importance of coral reefs
* Conservation and management of soil -
alternate cropping, judicious use of inputs
like water, fertilizers, pesticides; use of
manure, bio-fertilizer and bio-pesticide;
plantation and conservation of grasslands to
check soil erosion; forest conservation
including Joint Forest Management (JFM),
afforestation including social forestry and
agro-forestry
* Measures to conserve wildlife - national
parks, sanctuaries and bio-reserves;
breeding programmes for endangered species;
preventing poaching, hunting and bio-piracy;
enforcement of legal provisions
* Application of bio-technology
* Public awareness programmes concerning
conservation of water, soil, air, forests
and other resources
* Relevance of indigenous practices
* Tribal culture and its linkages with
forest resources and their conservation
II. Pollution
* Types of pollution - air, water (fresh and
marine), soil, radiation and noise
* Sources of pollution and major pollutants;
oil spills
* Effects of pollution on - environment,
human health and other organisms
* Abatement of pollution
III. Issues of the Environment
* Decline in forest, agricultural and marine
productivity and its effect on economy
* Resettlement and rehabilitation of people
* Energy crisis - urban and rural sectors
* Greenhouse effect and global warming
* Climatic changes
* Acid rain
* Ozone layer depletion
* Disaster-natural and manmade; disaster
management and its mitigation
IV. Striving for a Better Environment
* Use of efficient and eco-friendly
technology
* Sustainable use of resources
* Adoption of indigenous practices; sacred
groves
Consumer education - consumer rights, making
correct choices while buying different
items, food adulteration
* Community participation for ecological
restoration and conservation
* Protection of wildlife; stopping of
cruelty to animals
* Enforcement of acts, laws and policies
* Some success stories - use of CNG, Chipko
Movement, water harvesting, Silent Valley
and the like
Exemplar Activities
The activities suggested below are neither
exhaustive nor prescriptive. Teachers may
design their own set of activities keeping
in view the overall objectives of teaching
and learning of EE at this stage. They will
have to make use of local flora and fauna
and the available resources and facilities
and take cognisance of local environmental
problems. The learners should be encouraged
to initiate action on their own.
* Organising discussions and debates on
issues of environment like pollution of air,
water and soil, depletion of resources,
disposal of plastics, and urbanization.
* Guiding learners to collect data from
owners/drivers of the private/commercial
vehicles through interview-cum-discussion
method and to prepare reports. The
information may be sought about:
- frequency of checking air pressure
- maintenance of vehicles
- types of horn fitted in the vehicle and
frequency of their use
- frequency of checking the pollution level
- average driving hours per day
- state of drivers, personal health
* Guiding learners to collect data from
different households through
interview-cum-discussion method and to
discuss and suggest ways and means for
saving electricity and fuels. The
information may be collected on:
- types and quantity of fuel used per month
in the kitchen
- amount of electricity used per month or
the fuel used for generator or any other
sources used for lighting
- amount of fuel used per month in car,
motor cycle, scooter, tractor
- measures/steps taken for saving fuel and
electricity
- Helping learners find out sources of
pollution of water bodies in the locality
and to determine the quality of water.
* Guiding learners to make plans for
beautification of school campus or a park in
the locality, identify suitable plants and
trees, undertake plantation and look after
them. (This may be introduced as a
class/group activity as a part of van
mahotsva or eco-club programme.)
* Organising visits to water treatment
plants, sewage treatment plants or garbage
dumping or vermi composting sites in the
locality and helping learners study their
working.
* Guiding learners collect information about
global environmental issues and problems and
communicate their findings through
appropriate modes (like posters, charts,
collages, cartoons, handouts, letters,
street plays, rallies, campaigns) to all
concerned.
* Organising eco-clubs and activities like
debates, quizes, exhibitions, essay
competitions on the themes related to
environmental concerns and problems and
guiding the learners to synthesize
information gathered from books, journals,
magazines and internet.
3. Teaching-Learning Strategies
Teaching-learning needs to be so designed
that it facilitates enhancement and
concretisation of understanding, refinement
of habits, attitudes, values and skills.
Besides, linkages between theory and
practice need to be strengthened. This would
ensure learners’ proactive role in
addressing environment related problems. The
strategies may involve the following:
* Providing opportunities for the
application of the knowledge gained and the
understanding acquired
* Providing opportunities through simple
projects for identifying environmental
problems which catch their attention
* Encouraging independent handling of
projects and activities
* Providing opportunities for critically
analysing the data and information collected
on environmental issues
* Encouraging nature study using the case
study approach
* Involving learners in surveys pertaining
to environment related problems/phenomena
* Involving learners in community based
environment improvement programmes
* Arranging excursions and visits and
preparing reports
* Organising brainstorming sessions to
identify areas of action
* Encouraging self-learning through hands-on
experiences
* Utilising group activities for nurturing
leadership qualities
4. Evaluation
At this stage, evaluation in this area will
be at par with that in other subject areas.
A public examination like in other subjects
at the end of class X will be conducted for
EE, allocating marks/grades in proportion
with other subjects. Evaluation of projects
and activities will be carried out
internally and grades awarded will be
reflected in the co-scholastic activity
report card.
Evaluation would be based on the assessment
of learners’ performance, both in theory and
practical assignments. Multiple criteria
would be adopted for assessing learners’
progress. Performance in theory and practice
would be assessed separately. Both formative
and summative evaluation will be organised
using school based continuous and
comprehensive evaluation and the end-of-year
assessment. Grading system will be used for
recording the outcome of evaluation.
Opportunities for improvement in grades
would be inbuilt in the system. The features
of evaluation would include:
* Evaluation of cognitive learning outcomes
through written tests
* Evaluation of conative and affective
aspects of learners by peers, teachers and
the community could be undertaken through
observation of their participation in
individual and group activities, field
interactions, projects and co-scholastic
activities, and their involvement in
community based projects
In addition, it would be desirable to
undertake institutional evaluation.
Higher Secondary Stage
Classes XI-XII
(Academic Stream)
1. Expected Learning Outcomes
The learner
* develops an in-depth understanding of
various environmental issues and concerns of
national and global importance;
* develops a balanced view of the
relationship between environment and
development;
understands basic concepts related to
sustainable development vis-a-vis
improvement of quality of life;
* develops a deeper concern for the
environment and a sense of commitment and
responsibility to take proactive action;
* appreciates the variety in living
organisms and recognises India as a mega-
diversity nation;
* appreciates the role of individual,
community, national and international
agencies in resolving environmental
problems;
* practises ways of bringing about
qualitative improvement in the environment
by assuming leadership role;
* identifies self with one’s environment
with a desire to personally contribute
towards its improvement;
* respects customs and traditions related to
local conservation practices and accepts
indigenous eco-friendly technologies;
* develops skills to undertake and
participate in investigative studies on
various environmental issues; and
* motivates others and participates in
social and community activities in dealing
with environmental problems.
2. Content
The academic stream offers a variety of
combinations of subjects to the learners
drawn from languages, sciences, mathematics,
social sciences and commerce. The content
suggested for subjects like biology,
chemistry and geography at this stage
provides sufficient scope to the learners
who opt to study these subjects to further
strengthen their knowledge and understanding
about various aspects of environment and its
problems. The learners who opt to study
commerce and other subjects of social
sciences hardly get any opportunity to study
about the environment and its problems.
Therefore, it is desirable to introduce EE
as a compulsory subject for all at this
stage. EE as a compulsory subject will be
taught in the first semester of each year of
the higher secondary stage.
The content suggested for EE as a compulsory
subject has been identified with the
assumption that up to the secondary stage
all subjects are compulsory. It is also
presumed that learners entering the higher
secondary stage would comprehend the
concepts of environment and identify the
Impact of human activities on the
environment. They will be mature enough to
effectively participate in formulation,
planning and implementation of projects and
investigative studies pertaining to
environmental problems.
Class XI
I. Man and Environment
* Dimensions of environment - physical,
biological and social
* Human being as a rational and social
partner in environmental actions
* Society and environment in India; Indian
traditions, customs and culture - past and
present
* Population and environment
* Impact of human activities on environment
* Environmental problems of urban and rural
areas
* Natural resources and their depletion
* Stress on civic amenities; supply of water
and electricity, waste disposal, transport,
health services
* Vehicular emissions
* Urbanisation - land use, housing,
migrating and floating population
II. Environment and Development
* Economic and social needs - as basic
considerations for development
* Agriculture and industry as major sectors
of development
* Social factors affecting development -
poverty, affluence, education, employment,
child marriage and child labour; human
health - HIV/AIDS, social, cultural and
ethical values
* Impact of development on environment -
changing patterns of land use, land
reclamation, deforestation, resource
depletion, pollution and environmental
degradation
* Impact of liberalisation and globalisation
on - agriculture and industries, dislocation
of manpower and unemployment, implications
for social harmony
* Role of society in development and
environment - public awareness through
education, eco-clubs, population education
programme, campaigns, public participation
in decision-making
III. Environmental Pollution and Global
Issues
* Air, water (fresh and marine), soil
pollution - sources and consequences
* Noise and radiation pollution - sources
and consequences
* Solid, liquid and gaseous pollutants
* Handling of hazardous materials and
processes; handling and management of
hazardous wastes
* Ozone layer depletion and its effect
* Greenhouse effect; global warming and
climatic changes and their effects on human
society, agriculture, plants and animals
* Pollution related diseases
* Disasters - natural (earthquakes,
droughts, floods, cyclones, landslides) and
man-made (technological and industrial);
their Impact on the environment; prevention,
control and mitigation
* Strategies for reducing pollution and
improving the environment
IV. Energy
* Changing global patterns of energy
consumption - from ancient to modern times
* Energy consumption as a measure of quality
of life
* Rising demand for energy, gap between
demand and supply (Indian context)
* Conventional energy sources - fossil fuels
and firewood, potential (Indian context) and
limitations of each source, methods of
harnessing and environmental consequences of
their use
* Non-conventional energy sources - types of
non-conventional sources (bio-mass, solar,
wind, ocean, hydel, geothermal, nuclear),
potential (Indian context) and limitations
of each source, methods of harnessing and
their environmental consequences, need to
promote non-conventional energy sources
* Conservation of energy sources -
efficiency in production, transportation and
utilisation of energy
* Planning and management of energy; future
sources of energy _ hydrogen, alcohol, fuel
cells
* Enhancing efficiency of the devices and
optimising energy utilisation
Class XII
I. Biodiversity
* Concept and value of biodiversity
* Types of biodiversity - species, eco and
genetic
* Balance in nature
* Biodiversity for sustenance of mankind
* Resource limitations
* Ecological role of biodiversity
* Interdependence between different species
* India as a mega diversity nation
* Economic potential of biodiversity
* Loss of biodiversity - threatened,
endangered and extinct species
* Strategies for conservation of
biodiversity - in situ and ex situ
* Mitigating the people-wildlife conflict
II. Environmental Management
* Need for environmental management
vis-a-vis development
* Aspects of environmental management -
ethical, economic, technological and social
* Legal provisions for environmental
management
Approaches for environmental management -
economic policies, environmental indicators,
setting of standards, information exchange
and surveillance
III. Sustainable Development
* Concept of sustainable development
* Concept of sustainable consumption
* Need for sustainable development for
improving the quality of life for the
present and future
* Challenges for sustainable development -
social, political and economic
considerations
* Support base for sustainable development -
political and administrative will, dynamic
and flexible policies, appropriate
technologies, comprehensive review and
revision mechanism, humane approach
* Development of skilled manpower
* Role of individual and community
* Role of national and international
agencies (both governmental and
non-governmental)
IV. Sustainable Agriculture
* Need for sustainable agriculture
* Green revolution - Impact on environment
* Importance of soil for crops
* Irrigation systems, use of manure and
fertilizers
* Crop protection - major plant pests and
diseases, measures for their control
agrochemicals
* Impact of agrochemicals on environment
* Elements of sustainable agriculture -
mixed farming, mixed cropping, crop
rotation, biological and economic
considerations, use of bio-fertilizers and
bio-pesticides, biological pest control,
integrated pest management
* Applications of biotechnology in crop
improvement
* Management of agricultural produce -
storage, preservation, transportation and
processing
Exemplar Projects and Activities
It is expected that students will undertake
at least two projects or activities each
year, one of which should be undertaken
individually, and they will prepare a report
in each case. Teachers may plan and design
projects and activities depending upon the
local situations, available resources and
environmental issues of concern. The
projects and activities given below are only
suggestive and not prescriptive.
* To study the changes that have taken place
in the given land area of a
city/village/locality/market during the last
five years in respect of at least five
parameters like number of houses, residents
and families, food habits, number of
household goods in a family, consumption of
water, electricity and fuels including that
for personal vehicles by a family, sources
of noise (public address systems being used,
television, radio and vehicles on the road),
common facilities like number of schools,
hospitals, shops, theatres, public
convenience, public utilities, public
transport; number of factories, industries
and/or the facilities for production and
processing of goods, loss of water bodies,
types and quantity of wastes, their disposal
and treatment facilities with a view to
discussing the patterns of changes and
Impact on the environment and quality of
life. One specific project on these aspects
may be to study the changes that have taken
place in a given land area during the last
five years in respect of the number of
houses, residents and families and to
prepare a report on their effects on civic
amenities like availability of water,
electricity and fuels; the drainage system,
disposal of wastes including night soil.
* To study the environmental profile of a
town/locality/village in respect of
population density, green cover, educational
level of residents, social problems and
sources of pollution and their effect on
air, water and soil.
* To improvise two models of greenhouses of
similar dimensions made from low cost/no
cost materials, to place them in the open
under identical conditions and put some
potted plants in one of them to note the
temperature inside and outside of both the
greenhouses every two hours from dawn to
dusk for two weeks. To explain the reasons
for the differences in temperature, if any,
between the two green houses.
* To collect data on monthly consumption of
electricity and fuels from at least five
families, any two commercial establishments
and four public utilities in a given
locality. To plan strategies for educating
consumers to economise on the consumption of
electricity and fuel by reducing their
over-use, misuse and improper use.
* To study, for a period of one month, the
status of sanitary conditions and methods of
waste disposal of a given locality vis-a-
vis the role of Panchayat, Municipality or
Corporation and to prepare an action plan
for making the conditions more environment
friendly.
* To investigate the Impact of an industry
or a large manufacturing unit on the local
environment. The parameters could be land
use, the ratio of the covered area and the
open space, the raw materials used for
production, inputs like electricity and
water the types of waste generated and the
modes of waste disposal, use of environment
friendly and efficient technology, types of
pollutants emitted or discharged, the
average health status of the employees and
residents in the area.
* To study the Impact of changes in
agricultural practices or animal husbandry
including poultry, piggery, fishery and
apiculture over a period of time on the
local environment of a given locality or
village. The components for analysis may
include: types of crops, land area under
cultivation, mechanisation, use of
electricity, mode of irrigation and
agrochemicals, agro-wastes and their
disposal, types of animal breed and their
feed, types of shelter and health care,
methods of preservation and processing of
products and animal wastes and their
disposal. To suggest an action plan for
modifying the prevailing practices so as to
make them environment friendly and
sustainable.
* To collect samples of water from different
sources and study their physical
characteristics like turbidity, colour,
odour; the measure of pH, the nature of
suspended and dissolved impurities and
pollutants, the presence of toxic materials
like mercury, lead, arsenic, fluorine and
the presence of living organisms. For
testing the presence of toxic materials and
living organisms the help of a local
laboratory or institution may be taken, if
available. To identify the most polluted
sample of water and locate the sources of
its pollution. To devise an action plan for
mobilising public opinion for checking the
pollution.
* To study the practices followed in the
region for storage, preservation,
transportation and processing of perishable
or non-perishable farm products and to
assess the extent of their wastage due to
faulty practices.
* To study the status of an endangered
species listed for the region by collecting
information through different sources and
observation, if possible and to assess the
reasons for its diminishing number. Suggest
ways and means to protect the species.
* To prepare a status report on the
prevalence of child labour in a given area
through simple surveys on children engaged
as domestic help and as workers in farms,
commercial establishments and manufacturing
units. The survey may be in respect of age
group, education, wages, working hours,
working conditions, safety in work place,
health, handling hazardous materials and the
like. Units dealing with hazardous materials
and processes may be identified and an
action plan for mobilising public opinion
against the practice of child labour may be
prepared.
* To conduct a survey of plants and trees in
the locality and collect information about
their cultural, economic and medicinal
values from the local people and the
available literature. To prepare an action
plan for the propagation of trees that are
most valuable in terms of their cultural,
economic and medicinal use.
* To prepare a flow chart to show different
steps involved in the supply of tap water
from the source (river, bore well) to houses
in the locality. To collect information from
the concerned authorities about the quantity
of water processed and the amount of energy
required for the purpose at each stage. To
compute the energy spent for supplying 1
kilolitre of water to the consumer. To plan
and execute a campaign to educate the
community members about the implications of
wastage of water in terms of energy.
* To make a list of raw materials used by
the family for preparing different types of
dishes. To identify the plants and animals
and their parts from which each food
material is obtained. Also to make a list of
plants on which the animals in the list
depend for their food. To name the
processes, if any, in which action of
microorganisms is made use of. To identify
those plants and animals which are found in
the locality. To prepare a report supported
by diagrams/photographs/pictures/graphs to
focus on the importance of biodiversity in
providing food to human population.
3. Teaching-learning Strategies
Teaching-learning of EE at the this stage
would require a different perspective as
compared to the teaching-learning of EE up
to the secondary level. The focus of the
expected learning outcomes would now be on
developing a deeper understanding of the
environmental phenomena and their
ramifications at national and international
levels besides developing the capacity to
contribute meaningfully towards
strengthening the process of sustainable
development. In addition, development of
attitude for striking a balance between an
earnest desire for continuous improvement of
the environment through promotion of
efficient eco-friendly technologies and
actions required for resolving national and
international environmental issues. Learners
at this level would also be expected to
exhibit leadership qualities for promoting
community participation in resolving the
environmental issues. The teaching-learning
strategies would, therefore, be geared to
achieving these objectives, which may
include the following components:
* Providing opportunities for personally
observing and analysing environmental issues
related to sustainable development;
* Providing opportunities for doing critical
analysis of the issues and problems related
to EE through group discussions and brain
storming sessions and working out their
plausible solutions
* Undertaking case studies and surveys in
the field of EE;
* Conducting community-based projects to
help learners identify environmental
problems and their causes;
* Providing opportunities for interaction at
various fora for sharing of experiences
about national and global perspectives of
the environment;
* Providing opportunities for conducting
experiments and drawing conclusions with
regard to environmental problems, and
* Organising campaigns and drives with
community participation
4. Evaluation
At this stage, evaluation of EE will be at
par with that in other subject areas. A
public examination at the end of Class XII
will be conducted for EE, allocating
marks/grades in proportion with those in
other subjects. Evaluation of projects and
activities will be carried out internally
and grades awarded will be reflected in the
co-scholastic activity report card.
Evaluation of EE at this stage will have
both the components-theory and practicum.
The theory papers will pitch at developing a
higher level of understanding, analysis,
synthesis, critical examination of issues
and providing logical arguments in favour of
and against certain propositions. Situations
calling for in-depth analysis and evaluation
could be provided. The practical aspects
could be assessed in a variety of ways
through internal assessment of project work,
case studies, surveys, participation in and
drives for community mobilisation and the
like. Proper records will need to be
maintained on pre-determined criteria by
involving peers, teachers and community
members. Monitoring of such records will be
done through assessment in terms of grades,
advice and counselling for making further
improvements. Rating by peers and teachers
may also be utilised for assessing the
learners’ behavioural changes in group
activities and their individual
accomplishments. Separate grade point
averages will be desirable for both theory
and practical aspects at the end of the
year. Special importance will be given to
innovative ideas and actions. The
significant achievements could be shared and
disseminated at local levels and beyond.
Scope for self-evaluation could also find
place in the total scheme of evaluation at
this stage.
Higher Secondary Stage
Classes XI-XII
(Vocational Stream)
I. Expected Learning Outcomes
The Learner
* understands environment in its totality,
the interrelationships in the living world
and the complexity of the environmental
problems
* understands the types of occupational
hazards and their causes
* handles hazardous materials and processes
in the work place in a safe and environment
friendly manner
* takes precautions for occupational safety
and for maintaining safe work environment
* assesses environmental problems and
handles them effectively
* understands the concepts of sustainable
development
* integrates issues of sustainability into a
range of consumption and livelihood patterns
* correlates the effect of various global
environmental concerns
* develops skills to undertake projects and
activities concerning various environmental
issues
* adopts efficient modes and environment
friendly technology for judicious use of
resources
* appreciates the relationship between
environment and development
* appreciates the potential of rural
development programmes, agencies and models
* initiates appropriate action to protect
and improve the environment
* imbibes values to live in harmony with
nature and empathy for all life forms
2. Content
Vocational education at the higher secondary
stage prepares students for the world of
work. Vocational courses are intended to
help learners become more skilful,
productive and efficient workers or
technicians. It is important for every
learner in the vocational stream to perceive
and evaluate the Impact of his/her
activities on the environment as a part of
professional work. It is, therefore,
essential that learners of vocational stream
acquire attitudes and behaviours desirable
for environmental improvement, safety
management and sustainable development.
This stage is viewed as critical since it is
the terminal stage of education for a large
number of students who would be joining the
world of work through self or wage
employment. In view of this it is expected
that learners at this stage would not only
comprehend the concepts of environment and
appreciate the need for environmental
protection but also acquire skills and
imbibe habits to effectively deal with
environmental problems by taking necessary
action at the workplace.
Class XI
I. Man and Environment
* Dimensions of environment - physical,
biological and social
* Human being as a rational and social
partner in environmental actions
* Society and environment in India; Indian
traditions, customs and culture - past and
present
* Population and environment
* Impact of human activities on environment
* Environmental problems of urban and rural
areas
* Natural resources and their depletion
* Stress on civic amenities; supply of water
and electricity, waste disposal, transport,
health services
* Vehicular emissions
* Urbanization - land use, housing,
migrating and floating populations
II. Environment and Development
* Economic and social needs - as basic
considerations for development
* Agriculture and industry as major sectors
of development
* Social factors affecting development -
poverty, affluence, education, employment,
child marriage and child labour; human
health - HIV/AIDS, social, cultural and
ethical values
* Impact of development on environment -
changing pattern of land use, land
reclamation, deforestation, resource
depletion, pollution and environmental
degradation
* Impact of liberalization and globalisation
on agriculture and industries, dislocation
of manpower and unemployment, implications
for social harmony
* Role of society in development and
environment - public awareness through
education, eco-clubs, population education
programme, campaigns, public participation
in decision making
III. Environmental Pollution and Global
Issues
* Air, water (fresh and marine), soil
pollution - sources and consequences
* Noise and radiation pollution - sources
and consequences
* Solid, liquid and gaseous pollutants
* Handling of hazardous materials and
processes; handling and management of
hazardous wastes
* Ozone layer depletion and its effect
* Greenhouse effect; global warming and
climatic changes and their effects on human
society, agriculture, plants and animals
* Pollution related diseases
* Disasters - natural (earthquakes,
droughts, floods, cyclones, landslides) and
man-made (technological and industrial);
their Impact on the environment; prevention,
control and mitigation
* Strategies for reducing pollution and
improving the environment
IV. Safe Work Environment and Occupational
Hazards
* Safe work environment - adequate light,
ventilation, cleanliness, good house keeping
* Safety awareness and management - safety
precautions-home and work (laboratory,
workshop, work site); safe handling of
equipment and materials
* Occupational safety-proper posture, safe
design, safe operation and proper
maintenance of machinery and work place
* Occupational hazards-physical, chemical,
mechanical, electrical, biological,
radiational and psychological
* Accidents and disasters (natural and
man-made)- prevention, control and
management and their mitigation
* Major hazards in industries and
occupations - fire, explosion, toxic release
* First aid measures
* Laws and regulations related to
occupational health and safety
Class XII
I. Environmental Actions
* Meeting basic human needs - food, water,
shelter and fuel for all
* Population control
* Changing consumption patterns
* Prevention and control of environmental
pollution
* Waste management - reduce, re-use, recycle
* Environmental protection and conservation
- role of governmental agencies and
international organisations
* Legal provisions for environmental
management - national and international
* Community movements for ecological
restoration and conservation of environment
like Van Mahotsava, Chipko, Silent Valley,
Project Tiger, Ganga Action Plan, Joint
Forestry Management (JFM), students
participation in tree rearing, social and
agro-forestry
II. Sustainable Development
* Concept of sustainable development
* Concept of sustainable consumption
* Need for sustainable development for
improving quality of life for the present
and future
* Challenges for sustainable development -
social, political and economic
considerations
* Support base for sustainable development -
political and administrative will, dynamic
and flexible policies, appropriate
technologies, comprehensive review and
revision mechanism, humane approach
* Development of skilled manpower
* Role of individual and community
* Role of national and international
agencies (both governmental and
non-governmental)
III. Rural Development and Environment
* Human and natural resources
* Resource mapping
* Health and sanitation
* Rural infrastructure
* Rural industrialization - agro based and
other industries
* Planning and management of rural
development - role of panchayats,
governmental agencies, Self Help Groups (SHGs),
women empowerment, rural financing
* Rural development models - Gandhian model,
growth centre model, meta industrial village
of solar age culture, watershed based
models; case studies on land reforms and
cooperative movements
IV. Development Programmes and Appropriate
Technology
* Agriculture and allied sector
* Harnessing water resources
* Employment
* Planning, management and implementation -
role of governmental agencies like Council
for Advancement of Peoples’ Action and Rural
Technology (CAPART), Department of Science
and Technology (DST), Social Welfare Board (SWB),
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
* Role of non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) in developmental processes
* Appropriate Technology - concept, meaning
and scope (eco-friendly technologies),
criterion and selection of appropriate
technology (AT)
* Examples of the application of appropriate
technology - study of project profiles (land
and water management, waste recycling,
non-conventional energy - solar, wind,
bio-based, housing, farm and non-farm
sectors)
* Environment friendly enterprises - concept
and indicators
Exemplar Projects and Studies
It is expected that students will undertake
at least two projects or activities each
year one of which should be undertaken
individually and they will prepare a report
in each case. Teachers may plan and design
projects and activities depending upon the
local situations, available resources and
environmental issues of concern. The
projects and activities given below are only
suggestive and not prescriptive.
To study the changes that have taken place
in a given land area of a
city/village//locality/market during the
last five years in respect of at least five
parameters like number of houses, residents
and families, food habits, number of
household goods in a family, consumption of
water, electricity and fuels including that
for personal vehicles by a family, sources
of noise (public address systems being used,
television, radio and vehicles on the road),
common facilities like number of schools,
hospitals, shops, theatres, public
conveniences, public utilities, public
transport; number of factories, industries
and/or the facilities for production and
processing of goods, loss of water bodies,
types and quantity of wastes, their disposal
and treatment facilities with a view to
discussing the patterns of changes and
Impact on the environment and quality of
life. A specific project on these aspects
may be
* To study the changes that have taken place
in a given land area during the last five
years in respect of number of houses,
residents and families and to prepare a
report on their effects on civic amenities
like availability of water, electricity and
fuels; drainage system, disposal of wastes
including night soil.
* To study the environmental profile of a
town/locality/village in respect of
population density, green cover, educational
level of residents, social problems and
sources of pollution and their effect on
air, water and soil.
* To improvise two models of green houses of
similar dimensions made from low cost/no
cost materials. To place them in the open
under identical conditions and put some
potted plants in one of them. To note the
temperatures inside and outside of both the
green houses every two hours from dawn to
dusk for two weeks. To explain the reasons
for the difference in temperatures, if any,
between the two green houses.
* To study, for a period of one month, the
status of sanitary conditions and methods of
waste disposal of a given locality vis-a-vis
the role of Panchayat, Municipality or
Corporation and to prepare an action plan
for making the conditions more environment
friendly.
* To investigate the Impact of an industry
or a large manufacturing unit on the local
environment. The parameters could be a land
use, the ratio of covered area and the open
space, the raw materials used for
production, inputs like electricity, and
water, types of waste generated and modes of
waste disposal, the use of
environment-friendly and efficient
technology, types of pollutants emitted or
discharged, the average health status of the
employees and residents in the area.
* To study the Impact of changes in
agricultural practices or animal husbandry
including poultry, piggery, fishery and
apiculture over a period of time on the
local environment of a given locality or
village. The components for analysis may
include: types of crops, land area under
cultivation, mechanisation, use of
electricity, mode of irrigation and
agrochemicals, agro-wastes and their
disposal, types of animal breed and their
feed, types of shelter and health care,
methods of preservation and processing of
products, and animal wastes and their
disposal. To suggest an action plan for
modifying the prevailing practices so as to
make them environment friendly and
sustainable.
* To collect samples of water from different
sources and study their physical
characteristics like turbidity, colour,
odour the measure of pH, the nature of
suspended and dissolved impurities and
pollutants, the presence of toxic materials
like mercury, lead, arsenic, fluorine and
the presence of living organisms. For
testing the presence of toxic materials and
living organisms the help of a local
laboratory or institution may be taken, if
available. To identify the most polluted
sample of water and to locate the sources of
its pollution. To devise an action plan for
mobilising public opinion for checking the
pollution.
* To study the practices followed in the
region for storage, preservation,
transportation and processing of perishable
or non-perishable farm products and to
assess the extent of their wastage due to
faulty practices.
* To prepare a status report on the
prevalence of child labour in a given area
through simple surveys on children engaged
as domestic help and as workers in farms,
commercial establishments and manufacturing
units. The survey may be in respect of age
group, education, wages, working hours,
working conditions, safety in work place,
health, handling hazardous materials and the
like. Units dealing with hazardous materials
and processes may be identified and an
action plan for mobilising public opinion
against the practice of child labour may be
prepared.
* To make a list of raw materials used by
the family for preparing different types of
dishes. To identify the plants and animals
and their parts from which each food
material is obtained. Also to make a list of
plants on which the animals listed depend
for their food. To name the processes, if
any, in which action of microorganisms is
made use of. To identify those plants and
animals which are found in the locality. To
prepare a report supported by
diagrams/photographs/pictures/graphs to
focus on the importance of biodiversity in
providing food to human beings.
* To conduct a survey through observations
and interviews about the prevailing work
environment of an establishment such as
workshop, factory, manufacturing unit,
hospital or any other related to a specific
vocation and to prepare a report
highlighting the presence or absence of the
desirable environmental conditions.
* To study through observation and
interviews practices followed by the workers
in handling hazardous chemicals or hazardous
processes and to prepare an action plan
suggesting to remedial measures.
* To prepare a model action plan for
generation of biogas and other useful
products from biodegradable and
non-biodegradable wastes on the basis of
data collected for a village or locality
indicating environmental and economic
benefits.
* To study through observation and
interviews the extent of adherence to the
prescribed norms of safety in the
manufacturing units and automobile workshops
in the locality and to prepare a report
thereon.
3. Teaching-Learning Strategies
Teaching-learning of EE at this stage would
require a different perspective as compared
to the teaching-learning of EE up to the
secondary level. The focus of the expected
learning outcomes would now be on developing
a deeper understanding of environmental
phenomena and their ramifications at
national and international levels, besides
developing the capacity to contribute
meaningfully towards the strengthening of
the process of sustainable development. In
addition, the development of an attitude for
striking a balance between an earnest desire
for continuous improvement of the
environment through promotion of efficient
eco-friendly technologies and the action
required for resolving national and
international environmental issues. Learners
at this level would also be expected to
exhibit leadership qualities for promoting
community participation in resolving
environmental issues. The teaching-learning
strategies would, therefore, be geared to
achieving these objectives, which may
include the following components:
* Providing opportunities for personally
observing and analyzing environmental issues
related to sustainable development;
* Providing opportunities for doing critical
analysis of the issues and problems related
to EE through group discussions and brain
storming sessions and working out their
plausible solutions;
* Undertaking case studies and surveys in
the field of EE;
* Conducting community-based projects to
help learners identify environmental
problems and their causes;
* Providing opportunities for interaction at
various forum for sharing of experiences
about the national and global perspectives
of environment;
* Providing opportunities for conducting
experiments and drawing conclusions with
regard to environmental problems, and
* Organizing campaigns and drives with
community participation.
In addition, since vocational education
prepares students for the world of work, the
teaching-learning mechanism should also
contribute to developing participatory
skills, positive attitudes and values in the
students and to tackle the multiple
environmental challenges at work place and
at home. For this purpose, more emphasis
should be put on project work, field and
industry visits, experimentation,
activity-based learning, analysis, problem
solving, etc. The use of information and
communication technology, multi-media and
audio-visual aids needs to be encouraged.
4. Evaluation
Evaluation of Environmental Education at the
higher secondary stage (Vocational Stream)
will have both the components-theory and
practicum. The theory papers will pitch at
developing a higher level of understanding,
analysis, synthesis, critical examination of
issues and providing logical arguments in
favour of and against certain propositions.
Situations calling for in-depth analysis and
evaluation could be provided. Group and
institutional evaluation will also find a
place.
The practical aspects could be assessed in a
variety of ways through internal assessment
of : laboratory work, workshop practice,
project work, case studies, surveys, field
projects/studies, participation and drives
for community mobilization and the like.
Students’ behaviour and performance during
these activities will need to be assessed
and recorded. These records should be used
to provide feedback to students and to take
remedial measures to bring necessary
improvement in this learning. For practical
work, cumulative grades will be awarded on
the basis of this assessment during the
term. No separate practical examination will
be held at the end of the term.
For theory, the evaluation will be
continuous and comprehensive consisting of
both the internal assessment and the
terminal examination. The continuous
assessment of theory will be based on
assignments and periodic tests. For the
end-of-term examination there will be a
written test in theory. Weightage to
continuous evaluation and to the end-of-term
assessment will be 50 : 50. Grades will be
awarded to students accordingly.
Practical and theory grades will be shown
separately. However, for giving cumulative
grades, weightage to practical and theory
will be 60 : 40 respectively.
5. Management of Implementation
The implementation of the proposed
curriculum and syllabi of EE needs to be
considered in an all-inclusive manner. The
syllabi, developed with the age, mental
level and the local environmental context of
the students in view, have a systematic and
graded progression for ensuring continuity
as well as opportunities for revisiting and
practicing certain concepts following a
spiral approach. Effective implementation of
the proposed curriculum of EE will depend
on:
* a comprehensive understanding of the
curriculum and syllabi for EE among all the
stakeholders;
* motivation and commitment for achieving
the objectives of EE in larger social
interest;
* availability of relevant and useful
materials, both for students and teachers;
* effective pre-service and in _ service
teacher education using face-to-face,
distance and self-learning modes;
* active and meaningful involvement of
parents and community in general;
* adequate and appropriate resource
mobilisation and management;
* meaningful networking among school,
community, non-governmental organisations,
media and government;
* effective participatory monitoring;
* regular renewal/updating of curriculum
based on proper feedback and new frontline
areas of knowledge; and
* due recognition of the indigenous
traditions and cultural practices related to
the environment
The following deserve systematic
consideration in the process.
Strategy
Availability of both human and material
resources and their proper management would
be crucial to achieving the goals of EE. The
real spirit behind the introduction of EE as
compulsory subject in schools has to be
understood by the teachers. No separate set
of teachers would be required to handle the
subject. Every teacher would act as an EE
teacher. The curricular materials already
available in the system could be used for
providing necessary content input as well as
the desirable experiences to the learners.
Besides, additional materials need to be
developed for use at all levels in order to
meet the additional requirements of the EE
curriculum.
At the primary level, in Classes I and II,
the children would be provided a close
acquaintance with their immediate
environment and appreciation for the sense
of beauty in it will be developed in them.
The content of language, mathematics and the
Art of Healthy and Productive Living (AHPL)
would be carefully woven around the
children’s immediate environment. The AHPL
would also provide for the participation of
all children in the activities of their
interest, giving due importance to local
factors.
In Classes III-V also, language and
mathematics will continue to have the
children’s environment as their central
concern. Besides, as at present, there would
be a separate subject of EE. Children would
now also learn how to respect their
environment. Their teachers will help them
understand how the environment contributes
to their healthy development and what their
duties towards their environment are.
Attitudinal changes among children would be
of paramount importance and this needs to be
made possible through teachers’ love and
care for the children, resourcefulness and
skill in organising activities and providing
the requisite local specific materials
through community support. The AHPL would
continue to reinforce this. Both individual
and group activities including participation
in various celebrations, fairs and
festivals, plays and other cultural
programmes, and social awareness programmes
would constitute the most consequential
feature of EE at this stage.
At the upper primary level, the syllabus of
EE will have to be dealt with in an
independent manner. The content will be
mostly drawn from the subjects of science
and technology and social sciences with
proportionate organisation of time within
the general timetable. Besides, the
conceptual and logical understanding of
environmental concerns, the practical
aspects of observation, analysis, comparison
and drawing of inferences would be attempted
through opportunities for participation in
various drives, undertaking and completing
small projects, participation in plays,
skits, fancy dress shows, debates, essay
competitions and the like. For this,
resources available in a cluster of schools
may have to be pooled and utilized.
Community support in general may be of great
help at this stage. Due attention will have
to be paid to the developmental exercises
and the profile of each child has to be
carefully maintained so that the positive
aspect of development may be further
promoted and the others be suitably
controlled and corrected. Children would be
helped gain self-confidence and general
felicity. For all this, supplementary
reading materials, activity guides, activity
banks would need to be provided by teachers
who will focus on the special features of
the local environment, address local
problems and suggest ways for their solution
in a participatory mode.
At the secondary stage the concerns will
have to be dealt with in two ways. First,
the study of logical relationships, problems
and consequences will constitute the
transaction of EE for maintaining continuity
on the one hand and generating awareness on
the other. Secondly, children’s interest,
creativity and skills will have to be
nurtured through individual and group
projects, organisation of activities by
children and their attempts at finding
solutions to their day-to-day problems. The
teacher is expected to be only a guide and
facilitator in these. The culture of working
independently would result among learners in
a greater sense of responsibility and
ability to show empathy and concern towards
the environment around them. Consideration
and love for nature would be strengthened by
this time. The criteria for ascertaining the
level of achievement of the goal in EE would
be focused in their actual performance and
social and interpersonal conduct rather than
the sole memorisation of facts, information,
principles and statistics.
At the higher secondary stage, students
under both the academic and the vocational
streams would study EE as a compulsory
subject comprising theory and practicum.
This would be one paper as a part of the
compulsory Foundation Course in the first
semester of each year. The students now
would show their competence in dealing with
environmental issues independently and
critically examine and appreciate the pros
and cons of situations related to the
environment in general. Their conduct would
be obviously environment friendly that would
successfully generate among others awareness
about the environment. This would create
some kind of proactive leadership in
society. Special materials will have to be
procured or/and developed to meet the
requirements of the syllabus. The
co-scholastic development of the learners
will be distinctly evident through their
general conduct in a big way.
Thus, while in the primary years, EE would
focus on concrete experiences and active
participation, in the upper primary classes
it would emphasise habit formation and
skills. At the secondary stage, students
would learn through group activities and
solve problems. At the higher secondary
stage, they would grow into critical
thinkers, willing partners in action and
providers of community leadership in matters
of environment related issues.
At all these stages appropriate forms and
degrees of acknowledgment and appreciation
for notable achievement of EE goals promise
rich dividends. Schools and community would
do well to reward high achievers in the
field of EE.
Curriculum Load
The apprehension that the introduction of EE
as a compulsory subject would result in
added curriculum load is not quite real. At
the primary stage environment already
happens to occupy an independent place
because in Classes I and II all that a child
reads and learns is built around its
immediate environment. In Classes III-V,
environmental studies is an independent and
compulsory subject.
At the upper primary and secondary stages,
however, the number of subjects prescribed
for study would increase by one when EE is
included as a compulsory subject. But this
inclusion does not add to the actual
learning load.
Syllabus
Time allocation
Evaluation
Primary
* In the existing syllabus for Classes I and
II, teaching-learning of language,
mathematics and AHPL is woven around the
child's immediate environment, integrating
environmental concerns.
* For Classes III to V, EE exists as a
separate subject under the name of
Environmental Studies.
* The proposed syllabus presents the same
content laying greater focus on
participation of learners in activities so
as to develop skills, proper habits and
positive attitudes.
Upper Primary
* The EE contents included in science and
technology and social science are largely
retained.
* In addition, emphasis has been given to
activities and projects with the aim of
developing skills, attitudes, habits and
values in learners leading to positive
environmental action.
Secondary
* The EE contents included in 'science and
technology' and 'social science', are
largely retained with some realignment and
readjustment.
* Projects and activities find a prominent
place in the new syllabus, with a view to
developing skills, attitudes, habits and
values leading to desired environmental
action.
Higher Secondary
* The contents covered upto the secondary
stage have been reconsolidated and
strengthened, with some new dimensions and
correlations.
* The time allocated at present will be
utilized for transaction of the proposed
syllabus. No additional time will be
required.
* 60 periods in a year.
* The time allocated for 'science and
technology', 'social science' and
co-scholastic activities will be
proportionately redistributed.
* 60 periods in a year.
* The time allocated for transaction of
'science and technology', 'social science'
and co-scholastic activities will be
proportionately redistributed.
* 45 periods during the first semester each
in Classes XI and XII excluding the time
needed for project work is recommended. This
time may be drawn from the total time
allocated for the General Foundation Courses
and co-scholastic activities.
* Internal evaluation will be carried out
using grades.
* Evaluation will be at par with that in
other subject areas.
* A public examination as per other subjects
at the end of Class X will be conducted for
EE, allocating marks/grades in proportion
with other subjects.
* Evaluation of projects and activities will
be carried out internally and grades awarded
will be reflected in the co-scholastic
activity report card.
* Evaluation will be at par with that in
other subject areas.
* A public examination as per other subjects
at the end of Class XII will be conducted
for EE, allocating marks/ grades in
proportion with other subjects
* Projects and activities will be evaluated
internally and the grades awarded will be
reflected in the mark sheet/result card
issued by the boards.
The curriculum load Plan for Implementation:
Time allocation and Implementation in the
area of integrated social sciences from
Class VI to X has been substantially reduced
as per the National Curriculum Framework for
School Education (NCFSE) 2000. In the place
of three or four separate books for one
subject, now the students have to read just
one. Moreover, there will be stress on the
transaction of syllabus through projects,
activities, group work, group learning and
the like. In view of this, the actual load
on the student would not increase. This
factor notwithstanding, effort will have to
be made, during the next exercise of
curriculum review, to carefully remove
repetition, overlap and obsolescence in
subjects like science/science and technology
and social sciences. That will reduce the
learners’ load further.
At the higher secondary level, since the
subject is to be introduced in the form of
one compulsory paper of the General
Foundation Course in the first semester of
each year, and since it is proposed to
include projects and activities, the overall
advantage to the learner will definitely
outweigh any marginal increase in curriculum
load.
Teacher Education
Teachers would have to play the pivotal role
in total transaction of the EE curriculum.
Consciousness about environment, conceptual
clarity about environmental issues,
attitudinal transformation and the practical
ability to guide students would be the
principal requirements of EE teachers at all
levels of schooling. They are already
familiar with certain routine transactional
strategies in a formal, year-end examination
set up. Now the proposed syllabi of EE would
additionally necessitate laying of equal
emphasis on the affective and conative
domains of education besides working for the
cognitive enrichment of their students. This
would, in quite definite terms, generate a
need for greater involvement of teacher
educators in developing and teaching
appropriate transaction strategies that
would produce better, quicker and more
enduring results.
Pre-service teacher education would urgently
need an overall review for all the stages of
schooling with a sharper focus on
sensitisation and awareness building about
the environment and the issues related to it
and on the acquisition of competencies for
organising the transaction of EE in
consonance with the learners’ requirements.
This will have to be a compulsory segment of
all teacher education programmes at all
levels because all teachers are supposed to
be teaching EE at their respective levels.
The NCERT could provide model syllabus in
this area as well.
Specific programmes of in-service teacher
education for generating awareness of
various pedagogical issues associated with
EE would have to be planned and implemented
speedily. The entire infrastructure of
teacher education including the state
government run institutions and university
departments of education will have to play
an effective role in this.
In the process of reformulating in-service
and pre-service teacher education programmes
all their curricula and syllabi will have to
be suitably changed. Experiences gained by
the institutions and the outcome of surveys
and studies conducted by state and national
level institutions could be analysed to
facilitate suitable revision of these
curricula and syllabi at all levels.
The major thrust of teacher education
programmes would have to be on:
* a thorough and clear understanding of the
Environment, the concept of EE and an
appropriate pedagogy;
* transformation of habits and attitudes
that may present teachers as role models;
* aptitude and skill of effective
presentation, motivating and guiding
students through various activities and
projects;
* understanding the community and winning
its confidence to procure community support
in EE related activities;
* indepth understanding and discernment
needed for producing resource materials for
EE to be used by teachers, teacher educators
and managers of curriculum implementation;
* relevant elements pertaining to the
content, processes and pedagogy of EE
including the indigenous ones; and
* skills of proper and effective monitoring
of the implementation of EE in its totality.
It needs to be mentioned that the existing
teacher education institutions have to be
utilised for strengthening teacher education
programmes as per the requirement of EE.
Monitoring
Translation of syllabi into the learning
outcomes of children involves a large number
of processes characterised by
person-to-material and person-to-person
interactions. All interpersonal interactions
need to take place in an environment of
mutual understanding, trust and sense of
responsibility and, above all, a desire for
achieving something good (health and
happiness) for humanity and improvement of
the surroundings. Success of any programme
depends on its implementation in which
monitoring of the planned activities and
their execution plays a significant role in
achieving the desired results. It applies to
implementation of the syllabi of EE as well.
Monitoring provides an opportunity for
improvement in planning, implementation,
feedback strategies and evaluation
procedures. Its coverage would include
assessment of progress in development of
materials, the availability and delivery
systems, teacher preparation programmes,
classroom processes, the co-scholastic
activities, assessment of pupil performance
and the like. It becomes all the more
important to evolve strong monitoring
mechanisms to achieve the desired results in
terms of necessary awareness, knowledge,
skills, habits, attitudes and values
inculcated among the students following the
proposed curriculum of EE at various stages
of schooling.
The existing machinery of education will
have to be made “environment conscious” and
committed to realise the goals of the
proposed EE syllabi. Roles and
responsibilities would need to be delineated
for personnel at different levels of
educational administration. A clear
awareness of the shift from mere cognitive
understanding to acquisition of desirable
behaviours reflected in practice may be
emphasised. A system of participatory
monitoring will need to be introduced from
national to the grassroot level. The purpose
of such monitoring would be entirely
different from mere mechanical supervisory
practices and would be focused on
qualitative improvement.
It needs a special mention that the
monitoring system would be particularly
effective if it carries with it both
positive and negative forms of incentive.
Above all, timely and thoughtful recognition
and appreciation and, if possible, even
reward would go a long way to strengthen the
implementation of the EE.
Networking
Since the EE syllabi will have to be
implemented at all levels of schooling
nationally, both linkages and networking
among various educational and supportive
systems and sub-systems will have to be
strengthened. All state governments would
need to constitute task forces for the
purpose which would develop appropriate
strategies for implementing the EE curricula
and syllabi. Orientation programmes for all
categories of personnel involved would have
to be planned and organised. Development of
teacher education curriculum and the
materials needed for the purpose would
assume a very high priority. Use of ICT and
media, especially the electronic media, may
be made in full to cover all teachers and
teacher educators at all levels in all
regions. The task forces would help the
states decide the mode of transaction and
evaluation of outcomes and monitoring of
their execution.
Proper networking of institutions at the
national level, such as, NCERT, NIEPA, NCTE,
Ministry of Environment and forest and other
related agencies will have to be done by
specifically defining their roles and
responsibilities. They will act as catalysts
by way of providing guidelines, support
materials and professional support for
effective organisation of events and
providing professional assistance upto the
grassroot level. The NCERT in particular may
provide model curriculum, curriculum
guidelines and model instructional
materials. The state level organisations may
adopt these as per their requirements at
their levels. The support of community and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will
also be necessary in affecting the change.
Professional support for teachers and
teacher educators will have to be
strengthened with the help of Information
and Communication Technology using video
conferencing and multi-media packages, both
for creating awareness and enhancing
understanding of the environmental issues.
The teacher education institutions will have
to be galvanised to share responsibilities
with regard to implementation of the EE
syllabi.
Very active and meaningful support from the
community will be central to the
implementation of EE. Teachers or the school
system in isolation will not be able to
mobilise adequate resources required for
creating any perceptible Impact of EE.
Moreover, when it comes to including the
indigenous cultural traditions and ethos in
the over-all EE curriculum, the contribution
of the local community emerges as a precious
resource.
The role of a strong politico-administrative
will is underlined for achieving the stated
objectives which are to be realised through
the existing human power available with the
system. It is hoped that with concerted
efforts made by the various government and
non-governmental organisations, community in
general, parents, teachers and media,
particularly the electronic media, would
create an environmentally awakened and
proactive society.
Environmental Education in National Policy
Documents
National Policy on Education 1986
(With Modification Undertaken in 1992)
Ministry of Human Resource Development
NATIONAL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
The National System of Education will be
based on a national curricular framework
which contains a common core along with
other components that are flexible. The
common core will include the history of
India's freedom movement, the constitutional
obligations and other content essential to
nurture national identity. These elements
will cut across subject areas and will be
designed to promote values such as India's
common cultural heritage, egalitarianism,
democracy and secularism, equality of the
sexes, protection of the environment,
removal of social barriers, observance of
the small family norm and inculcation of the
scientific temper. All educational programmes will be carried on in strict
conformity with secular values.
EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENT
There is a paramount need to create a
consciousness of the environment. It must
permeate all ages and all sections of
society, beginning with the child.
Environmental consciousness should inform
teaching in schools and colleges. This
aspect will be integrated in the entire
educational process.
NATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL
EDUCATION - 2000
National Council of Educational Research and
Training
Context and Concerns
Responding to the Impact of Globalisation
Education should be the catalyst for the
desire to live together in their own society
on the one hand, and the global village on
the other through the teaching of universal
values such as tolerance and human rights,
the diversity of cultures, respect for
others and for the environment by searching
for the right balance between the society's
concerns and the integrity of the
individual.
Education for Value Development
Besides, curriculum in schools has to
develop the key qualities like regularity
and punctuality, cleanliness, self-control,
industriousness, sense of duty, desire to
serve, responsibility, enterprise,
creativity, sensitivity to greater equality,
fraternity democratic attitude and sense of
obligation to environmental protection.
Integrating Diverse Curricular Concerns
At a time when concerns such as 'literacy',
'family system', 'neighbourhood education',
'environmental education', 'consumer
education', 'tourism education', 'AIDS
education', 'human rights education', 'legal
literacy', 'peace education', 'population
education', 'migration education', 'global
education' and 'safety education' are making
a case for separate place in the school
curriculum, the best approach would be to
integrate these ideas and concepts, after a
careful analysis in the existing areas of
learning. Appropriate strategies for this
integration may be suitably worked out in
the detailed subject curricula.
Relating Education to World of Work
Many skills can be taught through services
which benefit the community as a whole,
bringing the school close to its environs
and helping the students become aware of
their commitments to the school and the
community. Cooperative activities can
promote friendships, communal harmony and
empathy for others.
All vocational education programmes and
activities must stress the concept of
sustainable development with a focus on
fostering the awareness of the key
environmental concerns and the rights of all
to a decent standard of living.
Toward a Frontline Curriculum
Some of the learning areas that would
deserve inclusion in this Frontline
Curriculum right now could be the latest
developments in communication system, space
technology, biotechnology, genetic
engineering, recent health issues, energy
and environment, world geography,
multinationals, archaeological findings and
the like.
Organisation of Curriculum at Elementary and
Secondary Stages
Common Core Components
The Fundamental Duties as laid down in
Article 51A of Part IVA of the Indian
Constitution, also have to be included in
the core components. These are to: protect
and improve the natural environment
including forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife
and to have compassion for the living
creatures;
Toward an Indigenous Curriculum
Adequate attention shall have to be paid to
the country's cultural plurality and the
enormous amount of wisdom and experience
that can be drawn from the various regions
and sections of the Indian society. It may
also mean making judicious use of and
drawing from traditional knowledge systems
and solutions to issues of health, water
management, population explosion etc. At a
time when there is worldwide recognition and
patenting of items like neem and turmeric,
this kind of information must become an
integral component of learners' knowledge.
General Objectives of Education
* understanding of the environment in its
totality both natural and social, and their
interactive processes, the environmental
problems and the ways and means to preserve
the environment;
* knowledge, attitude and habits necessary
for keeping physically and mentally fit and
strong in perfect harmony with the earth,
water, air, fire and the sky;
* appreciation of the various consequences
of large families and over population and
need for checking population growth;
Scheme of Studies
A. Classes I and II
(a) One Language - the mother tongue/the
regional language
(b) Mathematics
(c) Art of Healthy and Productive Living
Experiences to be provided in areas (a) and
(b) will constitute an integrated whole
taking into its fold, the natural and the
man-made environment. Teaching and learning
of language and mathematics would be woven
around the environment of the learners and
integrate environmental concerns as well.
B. Classes III to V
(a) One language - the mother tongue/the
regional language
(b) Mathematics
(c) Environmental Studies
(d) Art of Healthy and Productive Living
Children will be provided with experiences
to help their socio-emotional and cultural
development with a realistic awareness and
perception of the phenomena occurring in the
environment. This may be accomplished by
emphasising, observation, classification,
comparison and drawing of inferences through
activities conducted within and outside the
classroom.
Science and Technology
Primary Stage
Science forms an integral part of learning
at the primary stage. Essentially it has to
be learnt mainly through concrete situations
related to immediate environment during the
first two years. The focus would be on
sharpening senses of the learners and
encouraging them to discover, observe and
explore their environment and surroundings.
This will lead to enrichment of the
experiences, mostly on their own and
supplemented occasionally by the teacher.
The experiences and activities can be
gradually structured during the remaining
three years of primary education where
environmental studies is to introduced. The
focus would, however, remain on objects,
events, natural phenomena and learner's
environment. Children would continue to
learn to observe, explore and identify
occurrences in their environment.
Upper Primary Stage
The environment should continue to be a
major source of the learning and the
students should try to understand the
changes taking place all around. They would
also gain an understanding of living world,
balance of nature and the role of air, water
and energy. Due emphasis should be given to
conservation of natural resources. ...They
can also be made aware of some of the local
and global concerns and need to be
constantly aware of these particularly in
areas like drinking water, environment,
health, nutrition and family welfare and
others.
Secondary Stage
Science, technology, society and environment
would coalesce in teaching and learning of
science at this stage. Teachers could help
the learners devise appropriate
experimentation and activities within the
school and also outside school involving
immediate environment such as farming,
factories, industries and community.
Social Sciences
The component of social sciences is integral
to the total quantum of general education
upto secondary stage helps the learners in
understanding the human environment in its
totality and developing a broader
perspective and an empirical, reasonable,
and humane outlook.
Food security, population growth, poverty,
water scarcity, climatic changes and
cultural preservation are some of the major
issues of the twenty-first century, which
have relevance for the social sciences
curriculum. As such 'Environment, resources
and sustainable development' and
'man-environment interaction' would be
drawing their content mainly from geography,
economics, sociology and other related
areas.
Primary Stage
In Classes I and II, children are introduced
to the environment in its totality. No clear
cut distinction between natural and social
environment has to be made. Its content will
be drawn from the immediate environment of
the child.
In Classes III to V, the natural and social
elements of environment may be introduced
under a separate area of study called
Environmental Studies. Starting from the
surroundings of the children - home, school
and neighbourhood, they may be familiarised
with their state and country in a gradual
manner. Stories and narratives concerning
their everyday life - food, clothes, houses,
fairs and festivals, and the changes taking
place in their surroundings will make the
curriculum relevant and enjoyable for the
young learners.
Upper Primary Stage
The components of environment and their
interaction will be studied in terms of
processes and patterns.
Secondary Stage
Contemporary India may be the focal theme.
It may include the processes and patterns of
man-environment interaction and the issues
related to environment, its resources, and
development.
Art of Healthy and Productive Living -
Primary Stage
Classes I and II
Teachers will have to develop activities
keeping in mind local environment, cultural
background of children and available
resources.
Organisation of Curriculum at Higher
Secondary Stage
Academic Stream
i) Scheme of Studies
ii) Elective Courses
some new potential subjects of study have
also emerged. These include computer
science, bio-technology, genomics, yoga and
environmental education, for example.
Vocational Stream
Scheme of Studies
(ii) General Foundation Course
Addressing environmental issues at the
grassroot level is necessary for sustainable
development. Therefore, the students of
vocational education, who are expected to
enter the world of work at an early age,
have to be made aware of the concerns and
issues related to environmental conservation
and development.
Environmental awareness education - Supreme
Court directions dt. 22.11.1991, directing
the States and other authorities to create
environmental awareness among the students
through the medium of education ordered to
be strictly implemented under the
supervision of the state authorities - The
agencies (NCERT) also directed to prepare a
module syllabus to be taught at different
grades providing for environmental
awareness.
Citation: 2003 SOL Case No. 865
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Before:- N. Santosh Hegde and B.P. Singh, JJ.
Interlocutory Application No. 1 in Writ
Petition (C) No. 860 of 1991. D/d.
18.12.2003
M.C. Mehta - Petitioner
Versus
Union of India & Ors. - Respondents
For the Appearing Parties:- C.S.
Vaidyanathan, Sarup Singh, Sr. Adv., (Addl.
Adv. General for Punjab) P.P. Mahotra, Sr.
Advs., P.N. Ramalingam, V. Balaji, S. Wasim
A. Qadri, Mrs. Anil Katiyar, Neeraj Kumar
Jain, Bharat Singh, Ms. Kavita Wadia, T.V.
Ratnam, Ms. Hemantika Wahi, Ms. Archna, Ms.
V. Hazarika, Ms. Madhu Sharma, Ms. Sunit
Hazarika, Kuldip Singh, R.S. Suri, Tara
Chandra Sharma, Ms. Neelam Sharma, Gourab K.
Banerjee, Saurav Agrawal, Ms. Ruby Singh
Ahuja, Chaya Badrinath Babu, R.P. Goal,
Anurag Sharma, Ms. Indu Malhotra, Jaideep
Bedi, Ms. Ruchi Khurana, Kumar Rajesh Singh,
Ms. Sunita R. Singh, B.B. Singh, Vineet
Sinha, J.S. Attri, Sakesh Kumar, Satish K.
Agnihotri, R.K. Rathore, Addl. Adv. Gen.
Punjab, V.G. Pragasam, Vipul Maheshwari, P.K.
Chakravarti, D. Stephen K. Yanthan, Ms.
Krishna Sarma, Ms. Asha G. Nair, R.K. Singh,
Ms. Deepa Rai, Ms. Hema Gupta, A.
Mariarputham, Ms. Aruna Mathur, Y.P. Mahajan,
R.K. Rathore, D.S. Mahra, J.S. Attri, Ms. A.
Subhashini, Sapam Biswajit, K.N. Nobin
Singh, Anil Shrivastava, Janarajan Das,
Swetaketu Mishra, Ms. Moushumi Gahlot, Wasim
Quadri, Kamlendra Mishra, Rajeev Kumar Dubey,
Ravindra K. Adsure, Avtar Singh Rawat, Addl.
Adv. General for State of Uttranchal,
Jatinder K. Bhatia, Ms. Rachna Srivastava,
Prakash Shrivastava, Ms. Sushma Suri, Mukesh
K. Giri, Ashok Mathur, Ms. Kamini Jaiswal,
Anis Suhrawardy, Pradyot Kumar Chakravarty,
Gopal Singh, K.V. Mohan, Sanjay R. Hegde,
Rameshwar Prasad Goyal, Ranjan Mukherjee and
K.R. Sasiprabhu, Advocates.
Environmental awareness education - Supreme
Court directions dt. 22.11.1991, directing
the States and other authorities to create
environmental awareness among the students
through the medium of education ordered to
be strictly implemented under the
supervision of the state authorities - The
agencies (NCERT) also directed to prepare a
module syllabus to be taught at different
grades providing for environmental
awareness.
JUDGMENT
1. N. Santosh Hegde, J. - All the
respondents have filed their response
indicating the steps taken by them in
implementing the orders of this Court.
2. Shri M.C. Mehta, Petitioner-in-person
requested the Court to first consider the
steps taken by the respondents-States in
regard to the 4th direction issued by this
Court as per its order dated 22nd November,
1991 and consider other directions
separately on any other subsequent date.
3. The direction No. 4 issued by this Court
reads thus: "We accept on principle that
through the medium of education awareness of
the environment and its problems related to
pollution should be taught as a compulsory
subject. Learned Attorney General pointed
out to us that the Central Government is
associated with education at the higher
levels and University Grants Commission can
monitor only the under graduate and post
graduate studies. The rest of it, according
to him, is a state subject. He has agreed
that the University Grants Commission will
take appropriate steps immediately to give
effect to what we have said, i.e. requiring
the Universities to prescribe a course on
environment. They would consider the
feasibility of making this a compulsory
subject at every level in college education.
So far as education upto the college level
is concerned, we would require every State
Government and every Education Board
connected with education upto the
matriculation stage or even intermediate
college to immediately take steps to enforce
compulsory education on environment in a
graded way. This should be so done that in
the next academic year there would be
compliance with this requirement."
4. It is seen that as per this direction
this Court has directed the
respondents-States and other authorities to
create environmental awareness amongst the
students through the medium of education.
Accepting the suggestion made by the then
Attorney General, this Court required the
State Governments and other authorities
connected with the education to introduce
compulsory education on environment upto
matriculation stage or even in intermediate
stage in a graded way. Though belatedly, we
notice from the replies filed by the
respondents, some steps have been taken by
the States and other authorities concerned
to comply with the said directions issued by
this Court.
5. However, Shri M.C. Mehta contends that
the steps taken by the various States and
other authorities are insufficient and not
in conformity with the spirit and object of
the above order of this Court. He submitted
that the States and other authorities
concerned should prescribe a suitable
syllabus by way of a subject on
environmental awareness, not only in the
primary level of education but also in the
higher courses leading upto even post
graduate level. He submits that the
University Grants Commission, NCERT and
AICTE who are some of the apex bodies in
prescribing and controlling educational
standards should be directed to work out a
proper syllabus to be taught at different
levels uniformly all over the country. In
the absence of such uniform prescribed
syllabus in the educational institutions in
various States, different institutions are
adopting different methods some of which are
only basic which do not fulfill the
requirements of the directions issued by
this Court.
6. Having heard the learned counsel for the
parties and bearing in mind the burden that
may be imposed on the students by
introducing an additional subject, we think
for the present the steps taken by the
respondents as indicated in their affidavits
would be accepted pending further
consideration in this regard. However, to
make sure that these steps taken by the
concerned states are implemented without
fail, we direct all the respondents-States
and other authorities concerned to take
steps to see that all educational
institutions under their control implement
respective steps taken by them and as
reflected in their affidavits fully,
starting from the next academic year, viz.,
2004-2005 at least, if not already
implemented. The authorities so concerned
shall duly supervise such implementation in
every educational institution and
non-compliance of the same by any of the
institution should be treated as a
disobedience calling for instituting
disciplinary action against such
institutions.
7. This acceptance of an interim
arrangement, however, will not prevent the
respondents-State and other authorities from
drawing up or of taking further steps to
more effectively fulfill the objects of the
directions issued by this Court earlier.
8. We also direct the NCERT which is a
respondent herein to prepare a module
syllabus to be taught at different grades
and submit the same to this Court by the
next date of hearing so that we can consider
the feasibility to introduce such syllabus
uniformly throughout the country at
different grades.
