A sensitization program for teachers on Environment Education and Bio-diversity was organised by RCE East Arunachal Pradesh with Forest Training Institute Roing, RIWATCH and Kasturba Gandhi Institute of Higher Education. A total of 97 teachers, faculties of B. Ed College and Forest Training Institute attended the programme.
Students have capacities to think differently and provide unique answers. This motivated teachers to form a team who will effectively involve students of their schools to pinpoint environmental challenges around Roing and find possible solutions. In turn it will become a role model and rather ideal project work engaging them creatively in environment education, said the organisations.
“We need more diversity of plant species than huge gardens of mono-crops. We have lost natural vegetation of Holok, Bhola, Champa and Ghansari trees and even varieties of fruit species to the huge gardens of mono culture like Orange, Kiwi and apples etc. We need to change our attitude” said IpraMekola, Member, Arunacha Pradesh State Wild Life Board, in his address as special guest.
Videos and slide shows on maintaining biodiversity by different countries, triggering teachers to act as change makers and involving students to address core issues of environment concerning to their life, were some of the highlights of the programme.
MaloLinggi, Co-ordinator RCE East Arunachal Pradesh, shared his experiences at the recently held Asia Pacific conference at Philippines and how a small country surrounded by sea could successfully maintain biodiversity in spite of frequent natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes.
A short film showing how the students influenced policy makers and Mayor of Okayama, Japan to create water channel connecting all the schools of Okayama so that it could become a living laboratory of aquatic study was screened. This included as to how the teachers became change makers to develop bamboo groves on hillocks to make much needed bamboo charcoal.
“Humanity has now troubled relations with mother earth, that raised series of questions as to how we can alter our economic activities to minimize negative impact of earth, how we can change our behaviour etc. World communities thought science and technology will provide the answer but it failed. However they found that traditional knowledge offers multiple solutions and so it is important. For that matter Arunachal Pradesh and its cultural diversity is something that global communities are looking for pointed Vijay Swami, Executive Director RIWATCH in his presentation.