Pakistani Educational Leadership Project at Plymouth State University

Rakshanda Ovais Shareef
PELI 2008

TO ESTABLISH A YOUNG CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL
CLUB IN A COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Statement of the Problem
The amount of waste produced by human activities, particularly in urban areas of the developing world, causes great risk to environment. Zurbrugg (n.d) in his study found out that one to two thirds of the solid waste generated is not collected properly which result in environmental pollution and spread of various diseases.
Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, is no exception. Any one, who has seen Karachi up to late seventies, can easily compare that once a clean city, Karachi has now lost its beauty. Today heaps of garbage is seen in most of the residential and commercial areas of this metropolis. People have become accustomed to throwing trash on the streets and in the neighborhood. They blame the government for this mess, and do not take responsibility of their own actions.
In this scenario, littering also extends to school premises. Children do not see littering as problem; they casually throw wrappers, papers, pencil shavings, and leftover eatables on the floor. In this alarming situation it is crucial to create awareness about environmental issues and to help students develop attitude and skills required to improve or protect the environment for themselves, for their community and for a better future. An environment club as suggested by, Curriculum Planning in Environmental Education (1994) is a useful strategy to accomplish this goal.

Rationale
“A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Environmental Education (1994)” states that by creating environment clubs, schools can provide opportunities for students to develop knowledge, skills and attitude required for promoting a clean and healthy environment. It further adds that as members of environment club, students will be engaged in planning and organizing meaningful environment projects such as clean up activities, reduce, recycle or reuse waste, or planting trees etc. Students’ involvement in club activities will not only help them improve their environment, but also develop their problem solving, critical thinking and decision making skills.
Taking inspiration from the guide to curriculum planning in Environmental Education, I have planned to establish an Environment Club at Fatimiyah Boys Schools to enhance student awareness of environmental issues and to sensitize them to take responsible action towards maintaining and sustaining a clean environment. The three main objectives of establishing the environment clubs are:
• To create awareness among children about the environment and its related issues.
• To develop an attitude and feeling of concern for the environment
• To develop students’ skills to play an active role for promoting a cleaner and greener society
In order to give ownership to students, voluntary participation will be sought to foster greater motivation and enthusiasm among club members. The empowerment will broaden the scope of action and give sustainability to the plan.

Context
Fatimiyah Boys School is a unit of Fatimiyah Education Network (FEN) comprises schools and colleges with separate campuses for girls and boys. FEN is a community system, catering to the middle and lower middle section of society. The management of FEN is keen to uplift community through education and for this purpose ensures a holistic development of the child. The school highlights the importance of clean environment by celebrating earth day or other related events; however, environmental education is not part of the curriculum.

Participants
In the beginning the number of club membership will be restricted to only sixteen volunteers, eight from each section of grade VIII A and B. The reason to have limited number is to manage the club activities and to handle the data effectively. However, in the long run, the aim is to promote environmental awareness at the network level.

Focus
During the process of study, my focus will be to observe and document the useful effects of an environmental club on the knowledge, behavior and attitude of the students and how in turn it influences the practices and actions of the students. My main question will be:
What are the useful effects of an environmental club on the knowledge, behavior, disposition and action of students towards their environment?

I will also look for answers to the following Subsidiary Questions:
1. What is students’ present knowledge about the environment?
2. How do students feel about the environment related issues?
3. What is students’ understanding about their role and responsibility for promoting and sustaining a clean environment?
4. What are the challenges of establishing environment club in schools and how can they be addressed to promote a clean and sustainable environment?

Start and finish dates
Oct 2008 to February 2009

Methodology

Data collection tools
My main tools for data collection will be photographs, observations, interviews, questionnaires and my reflective journal. I will also encourage the participants to maintain reflective journals in order to reflect on any kind of change in their behavior and practices that takes place as a result of their involvement in the club activities.
Data analysis
Data analysis will be an ongoing process. I will observe the process, collect evidences, reflect on outcomes and identify ways to address the challenges.

OUTLINE OF THE PLAN:
I have already communicated the plan to the management for their approval and support. Now the action plan will be implemented in three phases.
First of all in order to obtain support from the social studies teachers of grade VIII to supervise club activities, I will give a presentation to share with them the action plan. Next, I will conduct workshops for students to enhance their knowledge and understanding about the environment and environmental issues. In the third phase, the environment club will be launched. Care will be taken to establish club rules for effective implementation of club activities.

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