|
|
13 January 1995
Doc. 7221
1403-11/1/95-3-E
OPINION
on an action programme for
environmental education in teacher training
(Rapporteur: Mrs ROBERT,
Switzerland, Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group)
Mrs Ryynänen's report rightly states that, until recent decades, our industrialised societies' development was determined solely by economic considerations, with no attention being paid to the serious consequences which development of this kind could have on our planet's resources.
Europe is now faced with environmental constraints and demands which have been rendered even more serious by our delay in recognising them and which call for urgent and concerted action to improve management of the environment.
The training of teachers in environmental education — the subject covered by the report — has already been discussed at the Council of Europe.
Unfortunately, as the preliminary draft recommendation very rightly says, the conclusions reached and proposals made have never been implemented.
The Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities attaches great importance to this question, which it discusses very frequently, either directly or in connection with other issues requiring action in this area. Indeed, it has often deplored the inadequate attention which the matter habitually receives.
The Brundtland report, the Earth Summit and our new sense of the need to gear our societies' activities to sustainable development have all combined to highlight the vital importance of devising strategies which harmonise economic and social activities with policies aimed at protecting the earth's resources so that they can be passed on intact — both qualitatively and quantitatively — to future generations.
However, such a sweeping change in our policies, taking in the economic, agricultural, energy and transport sectors, clearly requires the involvement of all those concerned — in short, of society as a whole.
An integrated approach to the sometimes extremely complex environmental problems facing our planet demands the commitment of all of us and an environmental awareness which must be fostered from childhood on.
Obviously, the roles of children, young people, decision-makers and scientists are not comparable. But it is true that they must all — within the limits of their own responsibilities to the community — play their part in action which is, at least in some areas, becoming fairly urgent.
It therefore seems plain that all of them must have the means of playing their respective roles fully.
Unfortunately, although the need for awareness-raising and for environmental training and education appears to have been recognised, the transition from theory to practice seems a hard one. Many excellent projects do exist in this area — and Mrs Ryynänen's report speaks of them — but putting them into practice often causes problems.
In fact, experience shows that the implementation of any environmental education programme — like other projects in other areas — usually runs into numerous political, administrative and practical obstacles which compromise its purpose.
It is therefore essential to recognise the necessity of giving the various recipients the knowledge they need to implement environmental education projects, but also of alerting them to the obstacles they may encounter in doing so, and giving them the means of tackling and even overcoming those obstacles.
It is also important that one of the aims of environmental education should be to generate a sense of collective responsibility, with everyone having — to differing degrees — a precise role to play in a collective approach to protection of the environment.
As we have already said, finding the right approach and taking effective action to protect the environment demand educational measures on all levels, so that everyone can play his or her part in the process.
Teacher training in this area must therefore form part of an overall scheme which also takes in adult education, action to bring the issues home to children and training for economic leaders, elected representatives and decision-makers.
Training of the latter groups is particularly important, since it would make for more effective implementation of environmental education programmes by helping to eliminate the political, financial and structural problems that often obstruct them.
With regard to the actual content of training, one can only agree wholeheartedly with the Rapporteur of the Committee on Culture and Education. Environmental education, training or awareness-raising demands a practical, participation-based approach to the problems, giving a clear picture of their scope and significance, and generating a dynamic learning process.
At the same time, the Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities has always stressed the importance of involving governments and the private sector in environmental protection. It is convinced that political determination and the active commitment of economic sectors which recognise the approach as a sound one cannot fail to get results from the many good projects which are devised today, but have — all too often — no practical impact.
And it is very right to emphasise that European Nature Conservation Year, which is being celebrated in 1995, would be an excellent occasion for the Council of Europe to commit itself to specific action in the field of environmental education.
All the more since this kind of programme ties in perfectly with the Year's prime objective, which is to promote environmental protection outside protected areas, that is, wherever the effects of human activity are felt. What this involves is striking a balance between economic and social development and the protection and management of natural resources.
It is equally vital to co-ordinate the various programmes developed by international organisations (Unesco, European Union, OECD, etc.) and non-governmental organisations (WWF, IUCN, etc.), ensuring that they all pursue the same ultimate objective, that is securing a process of sustainable development.
In conclusion, your Rapporteur believes that the committee can support the proposals of the Committee on Culture and Education. She feels, however, that more emphasis should be placed on the necessity of making these programmes a part of integrated training, information and awareness-raising aimed at all groups and sectors, and also on the need for special efforts by decision-makers to ensure that the programmes are actually implemented.
*
* *
Reporting committee: Committee on Culture and Education (Doc. 7189).
Committee for opinion: Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities.
Budgetary implications for the Assembly: none.
Reference to committee: Doc. 6852 and Reference No. 1939 of 15 April 1994.
Opinion approved by the committee on 9 January 1995.
Secretaries to the committee: Mrs Cagnolati-Staveris and Mr Sixto.