TEHRAN – Since education plays a key role in boosting environmental protection, the Department of Environment (DOE) is planning to implement a national project which aims at training eco-friendly students, dubbed as ‘environmental helpers’, in 20 percent of elementary schools across the country.

The project is scheduled to be implemented in cooperation with healthcare providers as of the beginning of the new academic year, on September 23, an official with the DOE has stated.

It aims to identify students who are interested in environmental issues, and encourage them to participate in a working group focusing on environmental-related subjects, IRNA quoted Mohammad Medadi as saying.

These students will later train other students to raise their environmental awareness. The project is assumed to cover all schools in five years, the official added.

Moreover, informal education in the format of extracurricular activities is planned to be carried out. Consequently, the development of a national environment subject is placed on the agenda. It will contribute to creating a roadmap for formal environmental education according to which relevant content would be included in the curriculum, he further noted.

To instill eco-friendly behaviors, environmental education has to be introduced at an early age, when children are in elementary school or even preschool. However, there will be some challenges. Education is an ongoing process; temporary or short-term courses would not induce long-standing behavioral changes. It requires time to see favorable results, Medadi said.

Education key to change

In May, the DOE, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, implemented an environmental project under the theme ‘education is the key to change’.

The main objectives of the project were to promote environmental literacy and promote a culture of environmental responsibility among students, Mehr news agency reported.

It also aimed to share environmental knowledge of the students utilizing the peer educators’ capacities; change students’ attitude and promote social responsibilities; make students familiar with indigenous, climatic, and local features; as well as boost students’ participation as eco-friendly individuals in raising environmental awareness at school, home, and other places.

In March, the head of the DOE, Shina Ansari, said environmental protection is a public duty, and national policy documents also emphasize the importance of environmental education, Mehr news agency.

Ansari underscored the significance of environmental education at an early age, saying that “to get out of the current situation, we need to focus on the education sector.”

The DOE, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, is planning to train eco-friendly students across the country to change the students’ attitude toward the environment, the official said.

For his part, Education Minister Alireza Kazemi said the ministry is planning to integrate environmental awareness into formal and informal curricula.

“Today, the world is facing numerous threats. If we fail to address them, humans will be in great danger with nothing left for the future.

The environmental crisis is one of the most important and fundamental challenges that humanity is facing. Environmental degradation has irreparable consequences that necessitate thinking of a solution,” he noted.

The official went on to say that teaching students about the environment and raising environmental awareness, as well as promoting the culture of conserving the environment, are among the fundamental solutions.

MT/MG