Environmental Education

• Over the past decade there has been an increase in environmental awareness programmes all over the country. Schools have started their own clubs and other periodic activities, although many sadly still pay lips service to any activities concerning the environment.
  
  For one thing, concerned heads in schools are burdened with the pressure of curriculum and syllabus and having to complete related portions from text books. Our system still suffers from a lack of change and willingness to adjust to modern methods of education. It saddens us to know that education is still confined to books and classrooms and not to the wider context of the real life learning environment
  
  Environmental activities also suffer from a lack of adequate funding. Business and corporate houses are hardly concerned for environmental activities. Again lip service may be paid, but the bottom line is profits. Anything that will give them adverting value is readily funded but genuine social causes are ignored. Businessmen must learn to give back to the community from where they have derived their wealth.
  
  A paradigm shift is requires overall, and until then environmental causes will suffer from a lack of proper backing.
  
  Dr. Ken Gnanakan