Chronicle Editor
Mahlabezulu Zulu
MY recent assessment of the local schools curriculum showed me that there was a wide consultation as far as its designing was concerned.
The inclusion of natural resource studies in some of the subjects like Agriculture, Geography and Combined Science in both primary, and secondary level of education means the country has a brighter future in terms of taking care of its natural resources. I believe the approach from this angle is of paramount importance considering the fact that this target group will catch and nurture conservation concepts at a tender age.
In doing so, the country would have avoided locking the stable door when the horses have already bolted. Unlike adults in a community who will need to gather for a conservation meeting or community development workshop, the school is already an established platform for trading information about the importance of conserving our natural resources.
From a conservationist’s perspective, topics like renewable and non-renewable resources, environmental management, forestry, causes of soil erosion, gullies and gully reclamation, ecosystem, wildlife and wildlife conservation which are part of topics in the curriculum, when effectively taught using the correct approaches, will inculcate a sense of responsibility among learners in handling our natural resources as a country.
While I appreciate the inclusion of natural resources conservation studies in the schools’ curriculum, what has been of major concern are the approaches which are being used in the teaching and learning of the topics related to these natural resources — basing on the fact that some of the learners being taught already have an outdoor experience of what they are supposed to learn.
The following questions will always linger in trying to identify the nuggets which might be there when imparting valuable knowledge about natural resources conservation to our learners:
*Are school grounds supportive of the teaching and learning of these natural resources for example any conserved area depicting a wild environment set-up?
*Are good theory lessons like causes, effects and control of gullies covered in classrooms complemented by hands-on activities? That is, gully reclamation activities done by students to reinforce their understanding. It’s good to reinforce as well as to vary the methods of teaching by teachers when teaching learners about natural resources so that children gain interest in topics being covered. Depending on the topic taught, it is good to take children for an outdoor learning experience. For example, after a theory lesson, a class can be taken out to identify and reclaim gullies sighted.
This will reinforce the understanding of the gullies concept. After a wildlife theory topic, the class is also given the opportunity to tour the nearest national park or game reserve to learn, and see the beauty of our nature to be conserved.
In carrying out my conservation education programmes in schools, I discovered that some of these learners are well-packed with information which they have gathered from their experiences and they are ready to share with anyone, but lack the platform.
My recent visit overseas to study how conservation concepts are imparted to schoolchildren in those countries gave me an opportunity to make a comparison with our situation. In my comparison, I discovered that we have a ‘‘fertile ground” in terms of quality of our learners when it comes to topics related to nature from their early and daily experience of interacting with nature.
Our crop of learners comes from an environment in which they play with mud or soil, herd cattle, donkeys, sheep and goats or fetch firewood from the bush which gives them a good foundation to discover a lot more about nature before they even come to school and learn about it in class.
Our crop of learners is not so complicated when it comes to interaction with nature, for example, in terms of handling wild animals’ droppings or dung. Compared to learners overseas, when it comes to partaking in nature interactive learning activities — they will touch, and separate particles of elephant dung with bare hands when they have been assigned to find out which tree species elephants feed on, or to assess how good the digestive system of an elephant is.
For overseas learners, before doing a similar learning activity — the elephant dung has to undergo assessment by a veterinary surgeon to ascertain that it is safe for learners to use as a learning aid, and parents have to sign indemnity forms. For maximum safety, children have to put on gloves and masks during the activity.
The new curriculum supports schools to become “ecology centres”. Through innovation and creativity, schools can be modified so that they display models of natural resources conservation — a classroom with solar-powered energy to demonstrate use of clean source of energy — the sun, a tank and gutters in one of the roof school structures for rain water harvesting, agro forestry and permaculture — biological gardening displays — learners will always understand these conservation models as they always see them every day.
Besides holding special events like The Speech and Prize Giving Day or District Education Awards, schools sometimes hold special events like the Schools Annual Science, Sport and Arts Festival and Career Guidance where a number of guests visit the schools. If schools have such conservation models on display, these can be showcased to guests who will later on adopt and use them for the nation’s benefit.
In a nutshell, natural resources are the backbone of our economy and a multi-sectorial approach towards conserving them is vital for the benefit of our country. Their inclusion in the schools’ curriculum can be a stepping stone towards their sustainable use — hence appropriate teaching techniques, and supportive teaching environments should be provided in schools.
*Mahlabezulu Zulu, a former teacher, is a conservationist who has worked for various wildlife research and conservation organisations in Hwange National Parks, and Fuller Forestry in Victoria Falls. He can be contacted on 0713269827/ 0776196171, [email protected] or [email protected]
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