Environmental Education

Environmental education is a process of recognizing values and clarifying concepts in order to develop skills and added tools necessary to understand and appreciate the inter-relationship among man, his culture and his biophysical surrounding. It creates an overall perspective, which acknowledges the fact that natural environment and man-made environment are interdependent. It should consider the environment in its totality and should be a continuous lifelong process beginning at the pre-school level and continuing through all stages. It should be inter-disciplinary and examine major environmental issues from local, national and international points of view. It should utilize various educational approaches to teach and learn about and from the environment with stress on practical activities and first-hand experience. It is through this process of education that people can be sensitized about the environmental issues.
Regarding chapter7, Article 65 of the Environmental law NEPA shall coordinate with relevant ministries, national authorities and national academic and technical institutions to incorporate the principles of natural recourses management and conservation and promotion of environmental health, including pollution prevention and control, into school and universities curricula.
• Incorporate principles of natural resource management and conservation and of promotion of human and environmental health into school and university curricula;

The incorporation of environmental principals was indicated in the Article No 65 of the Environmental law, and the National Environmental Protection Agency NEPA is responsible for the implementation of environmental law in the country. In this case NEPA by technical support of Biodiversity Supporting Program for National Environmental Protection Agency (BSP/NEPA) has been interacting in these efforts to assist and develop the environmental curriculum for universities and schools in the country.
To achieve the education related article of Environmental law, NEPA shall implement several schemes and programmes. Some of the major schemes can be important for environmental education and for creation of environmental awareness among the public.

Environmental education can be categorized as follow:

• Formal Environmental Education
• Non-Formal Environmental Education


The programmes under formal Environmental Education are:

• Environment Education in School System
• Environment Education in University system
• Environmental Appreciation Courses

The programmes under Non formal Environmental Education are:

Environmental Education, Awareness and Training plays a significant role in encouraging and enhancing people's participation in activities aimed at conservation, protection and management of the environment, essential for achieving sustainable development. NEPA, therefore, accords priority for the promotion of non-formal environment education and creation of awareness among all sections of the society through diverse activities using traditional and modern media of communication. Some of the major activities be take in this regard, are as follows:

• National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC)
- seminars , workshops, conferences and symposiums
- Mass awareness

• Mass media
- TVs, Radio, Printing publication and production of environmental education materials and etc

Environmental issues are the new phenomena in Afghanistan and exactly most of people didn’t hear about the environmental and its effects, and this is too important and much necessary that the environmental principals should be incorporated into universities and schools curriculum systems and in this way many students will understand and recognize the environmental principals. In other hand in Afghanistan are not any courses on environmental sciences at present in the formal system and there are no structured courses available outside the formal system for people who desire to learn about environmental issues. So a comprehensive and efficient curriculum be developed that conform to the curriculums of different faculties and related departments in formal system of Afghanistan.
In this cause BSP/NEPA team were taking the responsibility to develop the scientific draft for a comprehensive environmental principals and be the portion of universities curriculum. The draft is including the environmental principals in the hierarchy system and will be categorized in different parts.
Environmental education generally refers to curriculum and programs which aim to teach people about the natural world and particularly about ways in which ecosystems work.
Environmental education programs often aim to change people's perceptions about the value of the natural world and to teach how to change environmental behaviors, such as getting people to recycle or how to build eco-friendly dwellings.
What are the goals of Environmental Education?
Environmental education programs often aim to:

• Help students develop factual knowledge about the natural environment, particularly with regard to how ecosystems work and human impacts on the natural environment;
• Foster more positive perceptions about the value of the natural world;
• Develop eco-friendly habits, such as getting people to recycle and to produce less waste
• Engage students in environmental rejuvenation projects and action
• Develop students' psychological and spiritual relationship with nature