Teachers, students urged to share knowledge on conservation
ZANZIBAR: IN efforts to promote sustainable conservation of the environment, teachers and students benefiting from the ‘Green Schools (Eco-Schools)’ project have been urged to share the knowledge they acquire with others in the country.
The call was made by Ms Fatma Mode Ramadhan, Director of Nursery and Primary Schools in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, when officiating the ‘Green Schools (Eco-Schools)’ exhibition held at Benbella Secondary School and SUZA in Stone Town.
“My call to teachers is to ensure that this project is implemented effectively and successfully as part of the schools’ strategy in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG17). Share the knowledge with other students and teachers in protecting the environment,” she emphasised.
SDG17 aims to “strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development,” and the director said that the Green Schools (Eco-Schools) programme raises awareness of issues impacting the environment, as well as actions we can take to improve and sustain it.
The project also helps students understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment, builds the knowledge and skills necessary to address complex environmental issues and teaches ways to keep the environment healthy and sustainable for the future.
She thanked the Zanzibar Youth Education, Environment, Development Support Association (ZAYEDESA) for implementing the Green Schools (Eco-Schools) programme, supported by the Ireland Embassy in Tanzania. It is a project under the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
“We are also proud of the former First Lady of Zanzibar, Chairperson of ZAYEDESA, Mama Shadya Karume, for coordinating and managing the Green Schools (Eco-Schools) project implementation,” she said before the exhibition was closed.
They noted that the project was of great importance for the current generation of students and young people, promoting the protection of the environment through the sustainable use of natural resources and preparing them to respond to climate change professionally.
ZAYEDESA Executive Director, Dr Mahmoud Ibrahim Mussa said the Green Schools (Eco-Schools) exhibition brought together 14 schools, including eight primary and nursery schools and six secondary schools.
“Nine schools implement the Green Schools programme, while five were invited schools from urban-west regions,” he said, thanking the students and teachers for their good turnout at the exhibition held at the School of Continuing Studies at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) Conference Hall.
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Green Schools (Eco-Schools) project manager Mr Talib Kassim Abdi said the exhibition was attended by 166 students (65 male and 101 female), direct beneficiaries of the first-ever Green Schools exhibition in Zanzibar, which brought together students of different levels to demonstrate their Green Schools work on environmental education.
Some of the schools that participated were Lumumba Secondary School, Laureate International School, Asalaam Community School, Mtende Secondary School, RUHA Primary School, Benbella Secondary School, Stone Town International School, Mlimani Secondary School, Muwanda Secondary School, Haile Selassie Secondary School, Kajificheni, Kisiwandui Primary School and Mkunazini Primary School.
