Eco Schools
The Mukuvisi Woodlands Eco Schools Programme - ‘My Environment, My Future, My Responsibility':
Engaging schools in education for sustainable development through School Environmental Clubs
For stories, and photos of past Eco Schools Events held at Mukuvisi Woodlands Click Here
To enquire about Eco Schools and how to get involved, email: allainc@zol.co.zw
Education plays a vital role in encouraging the sustainable lifestyles required to care for our environment. The Mukuvisi Woodlands Eco Schools Programme aims to achieve sustainable environmental management by integrating environmental education into the national curriculum and empowering teachers and learners to implement environmental policies at school level.
The Eco-Schools Programme follows a model used in over 52 countries worldwide, including South Africa. To meet the challenge of environmental stewardship, capacity building is key to success. The Programme provides school children with hands-on experiences and opportunities to tackle issues and concerns in their own environments. They gain knowledge and develop a positive attitude towards solving environmental problems.Because of their hands-on and self-study components, projects in this Programme allow children to develop skills such as time management, working with people, public speaking, self-motivation, observation, recording data, and classifying and identifying issues.
The programme helps foster the development of children's potential by exposing them to new situations. Children stretch their capacity to handle the world, improving their self-image, confidence and autonomy in the process. It also helps inspire children’s interest in and appreciation of their environment. They gain an awareness of burning current environmental issues such as global warming, pollution, wildlife habitat and wetland destruction and loss, deforestation, over-population and poor sanitation, and learn at a young age that these problems are everyone’s problems and that each individual can be part of their solution.
This Environmental Education Programme was developed by the Mukuvisi Woodlands Education Unit as an adaptation of the Eco-Schools Programme practised globally. The Programme aims to improve environmental management at the School and facilitate active environmental learning.
Schools Environmental Clubs choose a project of their choice from the list of Themes, while teachers draw on these practical projects to strengthen environmental learning at the school. The Programme is linked directly with the Plan of Action outlined in the Millennium Declaration, signed at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, which aims to deliver Agenda 21 Commitments by involving people of all ages and nationalities through formal school education, training of staff and general awareness raising.
The Eco-Schools Programme is also in line with the Zimbabwe National Environmental Education Policy and Strategies (July 2004, revised June 2009). This is a Schools Development Programme designed to encourage whole-school learning and action for a healthy environment.
To date, over 100 educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities, have subscribed to the Mukuvisi Woodlands Eco Schools Programme, signing up and attending one or more events organised by the Mukuvisi Woodlands or starting a Change Project at their school or both.
What the Member Schools do
This environmental learning programme seeks to improve environmental management, beginning at the school. The School Environmental Clubs choose a Theme, then propose and develop a project of their choice.
Possible projects
Teachers draw on these practical projects to strengthen environmental learning at the school. The project must offer children a hands-on experience and a chance to develop knowledge and positive attitudes about tackling environmental issues. It must allow children to develop skills such as time management, working effectively with other people and public speaking. Club Members identify an environmental problem within their environment and suggest a practical solution. The challenge is identified from Themes such as:
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- Water
- Waste Management
- Nature and Biodiversity
- Resource Use (Soil, Energy, Water and so on...)
- Healthy Living and Nutrition
- Local and Global Issues
- Community and Heritage
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Some Theme and Project Examples
| Theme | Possible Project Activities |
|---|---|
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Resource Management Water, Energy, Soil, Trees and more... |
Adopt a river/stream and/or a wetland area near the school and monitor pollution levels. Do the clean-up. Monitoring is done to ensure the habitat is protected and preserved. The school will ensure that there is no illegal development or destruction of resources. BirdLife clubs are formed to monitor and study bird species that live in the area. The school carries out energy and water audits. The students do presentations at assemblies, to encourage not leaving lights and water taps on. Mapping of natural resources including degraded areas. Soil erosion control – gulley reclamation and rehabilitation; dongas/gullies in the area are filled in; plants are planted across them as part of this land reclamation. Bio-monitoring of rivers and streams, including taking audits of pollution. Sustainable forest management. Water harvesting. Agro-forestry: Establishment of woodlots, orchards, raising tree seedlings in nurseries and tree care. |
| Local and global issues | Research into local impact of observed climate change. Start on mitigation projects like tree planting, start a woodlot, a school orchard, a plantation and other school greening projects. Hold debates and discussions on environmental degradation. Invite a resource person to talk to your school or to cluster zones. |
| Climate change | Mitigating climate change through tree growing, nursery, woodlots and orchard for school, water harvesting and conservation farming. Counteracting the greenhouse effect, starting renewable energy projects. |
| Pollution and waste management | Waste management - the “R” concept of Re-Using, Re-Cycling, Reducing, Recovering, and Re-Making. Collect cans, bottles, and plastics for recycling, biodegradables for composting and gardening. |
| Healthy Living, Nutrition and Community | Gardening: Composting and nutrition, developing and caring for herb and vegetable gardens. School clubs sort waste and establish compost heaps which supply the school garden. Children are given some produce from these gardens while some are sold to boost club funds. As an example, discussions and debates on how the local motor industry could assist have been held. |
| Conserving Biodiversity | Projects to protect and preserve local wetland habitats identified as homes of diverse animal species such as specified birds, frogs and fish. |
| Wildlife |
Wildlife clubs hold quizzes and education campaigns on protected and threatened animals and observe designated Days such as World Wildlife Day, World Rhino Day, World Animal Day and take part in local initiatives like African Wild Dog, Leopard and Cheetah Quizzes held for schools. BirdLife Clubs – bird audits, identifying and monitoring of birds. Wildlife Clubs - carry out wildlife audits, awareness campaigns and quiz. |
| Environmental Awareness Campaigns |
Clean-ups, commemorations of environmental days. Sustainable land management. Bio-monitoring of environmental resources: Environmental monitoring; adopting specific environmental resources such as a wetland or a river near the school and carrying out regular audits. Schools get together annually at venues where information is shared through presentations on a World Theme for that year. Amongst some commemorated are: World Wetlands Day, World Water Day, International Migratory Birds Day, World Wildlife Day, World Environment Day, World Rhino Day. |
Annual Awards
At year end, the Mukuvisi Woodlands Eco Schools Programme does an evaluation of School Project Feasibility and identifies Environmental Steward Award Winners. To be considered, an Eco-Report or School Profile Report must be submitted, containing all of the following, which are the minimum requirements for Eco-Schools status. All components must be clearly labelled. Reports are assessed on the quality and depth of these sections, not only on their presence in the portfolio.
- The school profile and list of previous Eco-Schools activities, if any:
- Description of context
- Eco-Committee members
- Eco-Committee record of meetings
- The School Eco-Code
- Whole school review (completed, with reflections)
- Curriculum and calendar review (completed for each theme)
- Planning framework (completed for each theme)
- Project outcomes (including audit or other enquiry, for each theme)
- Curriculum outcomes (for each theme)
- Lesson reports (three for each theme)
- Examples of learners’ work (for each theme)
Becoming an Eco-School
Any educational institution in Zimbabwe, including Early Learning Centres, Primary and Secondary Schools, whether public or private, and Tertiary institutions such as Teacher Training Colleges and Universities are eligible. Teachers need the background to initiate environment clubs as they enter new schools on graduation and deployment. It takes a passionate teacher to lead an environmental club. The administration must give consent and the whole school is expected to participate, including the Teacher–Parent body (SDC/SDA).
Registration
Interested schools can collect an Application Form from Mukuvisi Woodlands Education Centre, complete and submit it. On submission a Starter Pack is supplied. To become an Eco-Schools Club Member, work must be done both at classroom and whole school level. The following steps are recommended:
Form an Eco-Club
Ideally the Enviro-Club leads to the transformation of the whole school into an Eco-School involving teachers, parents, SDA/SDC/PTA and other community members.
Write an Eco-Code
A statement of the ideals for which the school strives in environmental management and learning, and a description of how teachers and learners will conduct themselves in this regard.
Carry out an environmental audit and choose a Theme
Take a good look at of the school. Identify an environmental problem and decide what can be done about it, and how to improve the school’s environmental status, and the environmental learning that takes place there.
The Club Patron, usually a teacher, liaises with Club Members to identify a problem around their theme and suggest possible solutions, to be implemented through a practical hands-on Change Project.
Plan for Teaching and Learning
Select a Theme, identify an opportunity for environmental improvement, and identify environmental learning opportunities provided by environmental problems at the school that relate to topics in the curriculum and the Theme chosen. Schools must teach at least three lessons related to their chosen Theme during the year as part of their Eco-School Programme.
Plan and Take Action
The whole school audit and specific theme audit will have shown which areas of environmental management need attention. Action involving the whole school should be taken and should include the wider community as well, where possible.
Evaluation criteria for Best Eco Schools Club - Clubs move through these levels:
| Year 1 | Blue Star Certificate | Year 6 | Green Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 2 | Yellow Star Certificate | Year 7 | Plains Game (Giraffe) |
| Year 3 | Green Star Certificate Award | Year 8 | Endangered Wildlife (Rhino) |
| Year 4 | Blue Flag | Year 9 | Royal Game (Sable) |
| Year 5 | Yellow Flag | ||
| Year 10 | Having served for ten continuous years: The Big Five Award. |
Evaluation criteria for Best Eco Schools Club - Clubs move through these levels:
| Annual Assessment for Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Stewards Certification | To qualify for the overall best Environment Club of the Year | |
| Project: | The school based hands-on Change Project is worth | 40% |
| Networking | Activities and involvement contributes | 50% |
| New Registration or annual renewal of membership: | Contributes | 10% |
Mukuvisi Woodlands Environmental Education Programmes: Catering for school children at all levels
Pre School
Primary School
Secondary School
Superb Mukuvisi Eco Schools Programme World Environment Day Event held on 10 June 2022
On 10 June 2022, Mukuvisi Woodlands Eco Schools Programme held a highly successful event to commemorate World Environment Day. Enjoy just some highlights in our video at right and Click here to see more photos and videos.
With VIP representation from the Ministry of Environment, several representatives of the Environmental Management Agency, a number of exhibitors with display stands, and several hundred school children of all ages, this was a superb environmental education event. It is excellent at last to be able to hold such events once again!
The children participated in a quiz competition and a treasure hunt and many young poets and writers recited and read, and some sang, their uplifiting and inspiring works on a wide range of burning environmental issues and concern, affecting both our own country and the planet at large.
The Mukuvisi Woodlands Eco Schools Programme is a highly effective environmental education inititive which is a fundamental component of the vital role that the Mukuvisi Woodlands Nature Reserve plays in the community, providing a relaxing area of great natural beauty, home to many species of wildlife, and helping ensure that the next generation understands the urgent need to conserve our natural environment - for the good of all.
