Increasing environmental awareness among Bulgarian students
Increasing environmental awareness among students is one of the aims of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education. That is why changes in the school curricula will be made with the adoption of a new law on school education. Moreover students will be provided with more opportunities for extracurricular activities.
Currently there are 15 high schools in this country, which offer environmental education to the students.
“We have launched a number of initiatives in the framework of a campaign entitled ‘I participate and change,’ as well as initiatives under the Success Project, which aim not only at the students but at their parents too,” Deputy Minister of Education Milena Damyanova says. It is not enough to work just with the students and that is why we try to reach others, as well. A number of municipalities in Bulgaria have recently presented projects, related to environment protection and these projects all aim at including various institutions and a big number of schools. These campaigns will continue next year. We also try to achieve our goals through the new curricula, which will come with the new law on school education. One of the aims of this law will be promoting sports and healthy lifestyle, as well as increasing environmental awareness. The new law gives an opportunity for schools to make environment protection a regular subject in their curricula. There are schools with traditions in environmental education in Bulgaria but I hope more will make environment protection a regular subject in class.”
“Partnership for a clean school” is a project by the Regional Inspectorate of Education in Pernik. Special environmental centers were built in schools, as part of the project and more than 8000 students took part in it, cleaning school yards, the city park, and tourist areas. The students also made maps of protected territories in Bulgaria, information signs and leaflets.
“In school students learned how to separate garbage and this skill is one of the first steps towards increasing environmental awareness,” education expert Polina Fetfova says. As part of the project students in Pernik also planted trees with the help of the local forestry and non-governmental organisations. Together we planted 1300 trees and thus a new forest will emerge near the city of Pernik.”
Source: bnr.bg