The Government supported CEE has contributed immensely to develop resources and enhance understanding of sustainable development through formal, and informal education.
About Centre for Environment Education
The Centre for Environment Education, headed by Shri Karthikeya Sarabhai was established in 1984, in recognition of the importance of environmental education in India’s overall environment and development strategy.
CEE’s mission is to enhance understanding of sustainable development in formal, non-formal and informal education through its work with schools, higher educational institutions, policy makers and reaching out to youth and the general community. It is to integrate education as a key driver for change in demonstrating and advancing sustainable practices in rural and urban communities, and in business and the public sector, and in meeting challenges of global issues such as climate change and biodiversity conservation.
From the very beginning, schools and the school system have been at the centre of a major part of CEE’s programmes. The journey of school programmes of Centre at the national level started in 1985 through the National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC) of the MoEF.
CEE develops, coordinates and conducts a number of educational programmes for school children, in both formal and non-formal streams of education. To this end, on the one hand, it trains teachers, develops materials for EE, and assists other groups in developing such materials. On the other hand, it endeavours to bring a hands-on, field-based, dimension to school education through opportunities offered by governmental and non-governmental initiatives such as the National Green Corps, eco-clubs, camping, education in and around Protected Areas, etc.
Major Programmes:
Paryavaran Mitra programme – nationwide ESD school programme is a nationwide initiative to create a network of young leaders from schools across the country, who have the awareness, knowledge, commitment, and potential to meet the challenges of environmental sustainability in their own spheres of influence.
Children Forest Programme(CFP) – is being implemented in 27 countries and reaches out to 1550 schools in various states in the country. Its objectives are:
- To grow and maintain mini forest by planting various suitable indigenous tree species in areas designated by the school.
- To educate and sensitize students and in turn their families and society on the importance of forest to maintain our environment.
- To use incomes generated from mini forest for improving school facility and/or enhancing the school meal programme.
National Green Corps (NGC) – school eco-clubs programme is a national programme aimed at creating eco-clubs in schools across the country to motivate and stimulate young minds and to involve them in action projects related to environmental conservation.
Student Amateurs in School Yard Agriculture (SASYA) – The objective is to develop Bio-intensive gardens (vegetable) in schools with support from community.
Bio-cultural Camping for Sahyadri School – Bio-cultural camping module developed includes a mix of experiential learnings in areas of biological and cultural diversity. It includes home stays with farmer and tribal families and experiencing livelihoods and cultural life by living it. Visits are arranged to local organizations working in areas of organic farming, local seed conservation and food processing through women SHGs, learning watershed activities, hands on agricultural activities like irrigation, harvesting, preparing food, raagi biscuits, milking cows and exploring birdlife and floral diversity in community conserved sacred grove.
DNA Clubs – The project’s aim is to enhance understanding among students about the immense value of biological diversity of our country, the importance of locally available bio-resources, their sustainable use and conservation, and current status, emerging threats, etc.
Source: www.ceeindia.org and Wikipedia
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