China              Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences
India:           Punjab State Council for Science and   Technology
Indonesia:   Technical Education Development Centre
Malaysia:     Technical Education Department, Ministry of Edu.
Philippines:  Western Visayas College of Science and Technology

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                                                     Report Summary

The report provides an overview of the initiatives taken by various countries on integrating environment education (EE) and sustainable development (SD) training into technical and vocational education (TVE) at senior secondary level. It identifies gaps and good practices and recommends specific actions that could be taken up to better integrate environment issues in technical and vocational programmes. The report discusses the existing TVE courses in these countries and the status of EE components in these courses. The educational structure of the various countries is given in Appendix 1. of the Report

The study indicates that nearly all countries have introduced TVE in terminal years of secondary education, besides establishing specific industrial training and vocational institutions. In most of the countries, although EE is systematic in primary, secondary and higher education, it is still at fledgling stage in TVE. In China, there are 270 specializations in twelve branches in vocational schools, of which environment education is included in two branches only. Less than 15 per cent of secondary schools and vocational high schools offer EE. In India, TVE is under the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, as well as the Ministry of Labour. At the secondary level, a compulsory ‘General Foundation Course’ has been introduced in vocational schools; this includes an EE component.

The course content has been recently revised and appropriate teaching material developed. In industrial training institutes (which are fed by lower secondary students), a common course on ‘social studies’ exists, with only about 10 per cent of EE component. At the polytechnic level (also fed by lower and senior secondary students), no specific pattern is followed throughout the country, though efforts are being made sporadically to introduce EE in TVE courses. In Indonesia, EE at secondary school level is a component of existing subjects only, and is promoted through co-curricular activities. No specialized courses have been adopted. In Malaysia, plans are under way to incorporate EE in TVE, and an EE module has been developed to initiate a diploma in environment engineering, which is likely to be introduced in December 2004. In the Philippines, EE is only an elective subject that is generally not popular amongst students.

Furthermore, in most of the countries, both infusion and diffusion approaches for integrating EE in TVE have been adopted at various levels, but the emphasis has been on infusion of EE in the existing curriculum as opposed to specialized courses. None the less, some progressive initiatives have been taken up in most of the countries. Some good policy initiatives come from China where teaching guidelines for the integration of mixed art in middle level TVE have been developed. Environment issues related to the oil sector have also been included in vocational courses related to the oil industry. Noteworthy initiatives in curriculum development also come from the Beijing Agriculture School in China. In India, the compulsory General Foundation Course at vocational school level and the Social Studies Course at industrial training institutes are also examples that deserve attention, even though some courses require upgrading. An important example from India was the analyses of EE in the general school syllabus through a World Bank sponsored project that examines ninety-three environmental concepts across five subjects – from primary to high school level. This could also be extended to vocational schools. Furthermore, China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines are promoting EE through extracurricular activities. Some teacher training activities have also been taken up in India at secondary and post-secondary TVE level, but these are sporadic and need to be strengthened and systematically streamlined. In the Philippines, vocational schools also participate in R&D activities; this provides a good platform on which to imbibe information on local environmental issues.

The study identifies certain gaps in EE in TVE. There is a lack of: (a) an appreciation of EE in TVE; (b) an integrated approach; (c) a practical component; (d) appropriate materials; (e) trained staff and training policies; and (f) EE proficiency in curriculum developers.

The study recommends that TVE programmes be designed as a comprehensive system to accommodate economic and ecological needs through partnerships and cost sharing between government, employers, TVE institutions, NGOs and society in general. Streamlining the institutional framework to avoid duplicating efforts, the development of a minimum core curriculum and general curriculum modifications, capacity-building of TVE institutions, teachers and trainers, developing specific EE training facilities, introducing innovative teaching mechanisms and experience sharing at local, national and international level are some of the other recommendations that emerge from the study.

The study suggests that policy guidelines be developed at international and national level to integrate EE in TVE successfully. A standard core-curriculum with enough flexibility to incorporate regional examples should be developed and a trade-wise analysis of EE coverage in TVE be taken up to integrate work-related environment issues, ensure a better understanding of environmental problems, and to promote skill development for their mitigation. New teaching/learning materials that incorporate appropriate case studies, success stories and practical components, also need to be developed. To accomplish this, regional resource centres could be established, and existing training centres could be strengthened.

 For further details,  Contact :  www.unesco.org.