| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
Introduction: Ethiopia is one of the most severely affected climate change prone countries and among the most at risk in future consequences of climate change and related disasters, such as land degradation, deforestation, drought, rainfall variability and climate borne disease (Bangay, C. and Blum, N., 2010). Thus, education as one of the tools to combat various environment related problems, to assess what is being done in education particularly as to how climate related problems are being treated in formal education system of the country sounds sensible. Thus, this study investigated how different schools which are situated in different geographical and climate areas treat environmental education under the context of a centrally prepared curriculum which is being implemented uniformly across the entire country while environment related problems and concerns vary from one area to another.
Aim: The overall aim of this study is to see the relevance of environmental lessons incorporated in school subjects in addressing local environmental problems; to investigate to what extent the local environment is being used as a source and medium of environmental education about, in and for the environment; and to find out the possible challenges and factors that affects the practice of environmental education about, in and for the local environment in this context.
Study design: The study employed comparative research design using different qualitative methods
Methods: The data were collected through focus group discussion, semi-structured interviews, and observation and students’ questionnaire.
Finding: The study in general found out that schools are teaching students mainly about the general knowledge of the global and national environmental issues merely based on what is presented in the syllabus. Local specific environment related problems, however, are found different where School A and B are located. Nevertheless, the finding shows that the current practice of environmental education in the two schools did very little to teach students about, in and for the local environment. There are hardly any locally contextualized environmental lessons and skills taught in the schools which are relevant for the surrounding local environment. The study also found that unfavorable learning environment regarding infrastructure, socio-economic, large class size, high teaching loads, centrally designed curriculum, lack of initiatives, teachers’ related factors, students’ family background and local community factors as well as poor coordination between different stakeholders are some of the factors that affect the practice of environmental education and the responses to local environmental needs.
Conclusion: The nature of environmental problem solving actions start from locally based actions on the bases of the socio-ecological knowledge and situations of a place, which, in the process, expands to national and global scale of protecting, conserving and rehabilitating the common good, the bio-physical environment. Thus, teaching students about the general environment without providing the knowledge and skills necessary to know and experience their local environment is missing the point. An environmental education detached from the local environment knowledge and skills is ineffective to enable students develop favorable attitude and pro-environmental behavior in and for their local environment. | eng |