KUCHING: A nationwide study to determine the status of Environmental Education/Education for Sustainable Development infusion and integration into a formal education system in Malaysian schools will be carried out.
Amanah Lestari Alam (ALAM) in a press statement from Kuala Lumpur today said, the year-long research will involve both students and teachers at all levels from primary up till Form 6 from various backgrounds along with the management comprising headmasters and state education department officers.
“In partnership with Pertubuhan Pendidikan Pembangunan Lestari Selangor (PPPLS), Amanah Lestari Alam (ALAM) is working together to facilitate and foster a more sustainable environment ecosystem in the country.
‘This strategic collaboration will entail a nationwide study to be fully funded by ALAM. It is aimed at engaging approximately 1,022 schools nationwide – including Sabah and Sarawak,” it said.
The study will be conducted in collaboration with researchers from Universiti Malaya – WWF Malaysia Living Planet Centre,
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya together with support from the team at WWF Malaysia.
Concurrently, the study will also look at the positive environmental behaviours among its subjects in their years of exposure to environmental activities and campaigns.
The statement said that the initiative was indeed timely and much needed in line with the recent announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the government’s intention to introduce Climate Change as a core syllabus in the country’s education system, following the country’s series of unprecedented natural disasters.
Meanwhile, ALAM’s CEO Wan Fauzah Che Din said ALAM, an entity aimed at championing the preservation of the environment, welcomes and applauds the government for the proactive measure in its continuous efforts to ignite a behavoural change amongst the youth in Malaysia.
“This certainly is a strong reflection of the government’s commitment towards a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable nation as outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan and the global commitment towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
Commenting on the strategic collaboration, she said it was essential to encourage learners to make informed decisions and actions on global issues such as climate change through ESD.
“We are pleased to receive the support from the Ministry of Education (MOE). We hope the findings will help MOE to re-evaluate relevant sections of the education system to be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to build a generation of young leaders who understand that humanity’s health depends on nature’s well-being.
“This is also a reflection of a whole nation approach where the private, public and civil societies collaborate together for a common interest,” she added.
Meanwhile, PPPLS’ co-chairman, Thiagarajan Nadeson said, “As determined planetary health is everyone’s responsibility, we need to understand the Ministry of Education’s effort better and to support them where help is required based on this research.
“In addition, the study is a baseline to determine how the EE/ESD elements embedded in the curriculum and textbooks are being implemented in the classrooms and extracurricular programmes.”
“We are honoured to be involved in this high-impact research since our association has reputable researchers with many years of experience. We hope the findings will also benefit NGOs running many environmental initiatives with students.
“They will be able to plan more focused non-formal EE/ESD educational activities in collaboration with the MOE and other government and non-governmental agencies,” he elaborated.
