Over the past few years, the Eco-Schools programme has been introduced to 13 schools in Grahamstown.
The programme seeks to incorporate environmental education in the school curriculum to bring about awareness in the greater community.
Over the past few years, the Eco-Schools programme has been introduced to 13 schools in Grahamstown.
The programme seeks to incorporate environmental education in the school curriculum to bring about awareness in the greater community.
The project is an internationally recognised award scheme that accredits schools that commit to improving environmental awareness and reducing their environmental waste.
It aims to address training needs, targeting specific bodies of the public including business and industry, municipal employees, learners in formal education institutions, livestock owners, agriculture
and the eco-tourism sector and the general public.
Some of the activities include lessons about crop rotation, alien plants and field trips to clean up rubbish dumps.
Eco-Schools is visiting Grahamstown amid concerns about the deteriorating state of the environment in built-up areas and seeks to mobilise local communities towards an integrated effort at keeping the environment clean.
The programme is collaborating with the Rhodes Sustainability Unit (which focuses on teaching, research, community engagement and interacts with NGOs), school teachers and Umthathi Training Project who assisted with the selection of nine schools to register for the programme.
Makana Municipality sponsored a further seven schools to take part in the project, two of which are farms schools. The Environmental Health and Cleansing Department helped in the selection of these areas.
Gladys Tyatya, who assits with the project, believes that “it helps learners and educates them to know more about the environment.
Each school can choose the type of programme they want to do.” Kuyasa Special School has been participating in the Eco- Schools programme for three years and the learners have been taught various skills such as keeping a wormery for compost and gardening techniques including trenching and building a teepee.
Trenching is the technique were a 75cm hole is dug and kitchen and garden refuse, such as newspapers and stalks, are placed in the bottom and then filled with nutritious top soil.
The legs of the teepee are embedded in the soil for climbers, such as peas and tomatoes, to grow. Learners in their skills year, the final year at Kuyasa, have been encouraged to take home the skills that they have learnt at school.
“They come to tell me that their gardens at home are ready and I then distribute the seeds,” says Elisma Hallier, head of the project at Kuyasa.
“They are becoming more self sufficient in terms of food production.” Kary McConnachie, also a teacher at Kuyasa, points out that the programme “is very good for the general public perspective of our challenged children. The kids are running a successful garden and recycling project”.
However, the Eco-Schools project faces various challenges. Financing has excluded some schools from participation because of the R391 registration cost.
This covers the magazines, newsletters and the Eco-School certificate that is received after completing the course.
The erratic school holidays from the Soccer World Cup have also been disruptive. “It was up and down. This year had long holidays and when the children get back, they are unable to attend the workshops because of other commitments,” admitted Tyatya.
