By Beatus Mwendwa
\r\n\r\nThe concept of sustainable development covers a wide range of issues and subjects. In 1987 the United Nations through the Bruntland Commission linked economic development and environmental stability (UNESCO, 2012). According to Emas (2015), the commission defined sustainable development as one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. That is, sustainable development focuses on human needs and life supporting systems which includes earth, ecosystems, natural resources, culture and community.
\r\n\r\nSustainable Development became an issue of major concern in 2012, when the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development negotiated an international agreement to come up with a new set of global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide the path of sustainable development in the world after 2015.
\r\n\r\nAccording to UNESCO (2012), the sustainable development goals were intended to go beyond the millennium development goals which expired in 2015. They were focused to provide a comprehensive vision for the evolution of all countries in the years ahead. SDGs were universal, addressing significant challenges to developed countries in transforming their own societies and economies in a more sustainable direction, as well as contributing strongly to the global effort to speed the achievement of sustainable development in the developing countries. Of all 17 SDGs, goals number 11 to 15 addressed major environmental issues such as ensuring safe, resilient, and sustainable human settlement, consumption and production patterns, combating climate change and impacts, sustainable conservation of marine resources, and restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems ( Ssozi,2012, Walker 2013, Wheeler, 2000).
\r\n\r\nOne of the main aspects to achieving sustainable development is through education. Education for sustainable development constitutes an important part in ensuring that human beings acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. According to Kimaryo (2011), education for sustainable development envisions a better world where there is a balance between economy, ecology and society. In practice, Ssozi (2012) pointed out that education for sustainable development should address holistically other academic disciplines apart from ecosystem and life science. The author suggests inclusion of societal development, economic growth and environmental conservation. This is important as economic growth has been achieved through unfair deals without taking into consideration environmental consequences and the communities whose survival depends on the environment and the resources therein. Therefore it can be said that the essence of introducing education for sustainable development is to dissolve the artificial boundaries between the environment, economy, and society. The education for sustainable development concept is well described in the sustainability model as shown in figure 1 below.
\r\n', '15895455351106959738_Sustainability_model.png', '1', 'winter'), (11, '2020-05-15 12:27:17', 'Environmental Education in Tanzania: Integrating teaching and learning approach ', 'By Beatus Mwendwa
\r\n\r\nLike other countries in the world, Tanzania has responded through international conferences, forums, global conventions, and international declarations concerning the environment. In 1990s the country, through the ministry of education, formulated environmental education courses and incorporated t h e m officially in secondary school curriculum at all levels as integrated subjects, not stand alone subjects. Also government concerns about environmental management and conservation were added, and now clarified, in the objectives of education in Tanzania. The Tanzania Education and Training Policy (URT, 2005) shows the emphasis on environmental education; one of its major objectives is, “to enable a rational use, management and conservation of the environment” (URT, 2005). This however is a theoretical and hypothetical effort in rolling out environmental education in secondary schools in Tanzania.
\r\n\r\nThe Tanzania secondary education system has adopted an integrated teaching approach to address e n v i r o n m e n t a l e d u c a t i o n . That is, environmental education competencies are integrated into other subjects. Kadji (2002) wrote that an integrative a p p r o a c h i n teaching is based on both philosophy and practicality. It is generally an approach which purposefully draws together knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values from within or across subject areas to develop a more powerful understanding and linkages of key ideas. The integrative approach is not only in Tanzania, various writers have reported the use of this teaching strategy in different countries. Uganda, Nigeria, New Zealand, China and Jamaica have been reported to use integrated teaching and learning in their education systems (Ferguson, 2008 and Stapp, 1997).
\r\n\r\nBaxte and Jack, (2008) highlighted advantages of using an integrative teaching approach, which includes allowing teachers to plan for the development of key skills and understandings that transcend individual strands and subjects, while helping students to build on their diverse prior knowledge and experience, support their holistic view of the world, and ensure more meaningful learning. The brain research by Dylan (1998) supports the theory that younger students take in many things and process and organize them at one time. That means teaching ideas holistically, rather than in fragmented pieces, better reflects how young students’ brains process information. Also Drake (2004) considered a n integrated teaching approach to be the path that makes sense in education in this century as it connects what is learnt to real life situations. A problem-based education model is a good example of an integrated teaching approach that offers high potential for the identification of relevant, highly motivating problems.
\r\n\r\nOn the other side of the coin, integration of environmental education into different subjects creates a number of limitations and challenges to education systems (Johnson, 2005 and Palmer, 1998). It is argued that when environmental education is integrated into the content of other subjects, learners fail to develop a clear understanding of what different disciplines or forms of knowledge co ntribute to the understanding of an environmental topic (Kadji, 2002). In addition, teachers find it difficult to link environmental education content with subject content because there seems to be no clear formula for implementation. As a result, many teachers are not comfortable with teaching through integration (Drake, 20 04). It is also thought that the integration of environmental education into existing subjects may not be accorded adequate weight in all subjects. The current study assesses the extent to which curriculum of secondary schools in Tanzania addresses sustainable education through integration of environmental education.
\r\n\r\n\r\n', '15895456371157491781_environmental-education.jpg', '1', 'winter'), (15, '2020-09-09 08:14:20', 'GICD - GCEI Collaboration', '
GICD is pleased to have established a collaboration partnership with Global Culture Education Initiative (GCEI- gcei.weebly.com). a United States-based collaborative initiative with a focus on encouraging, promoting and facilitating critical awareness of INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS and ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP among pre-university students and educational partners, domestically and internationally.
\r\n\r\nIn this collaboration, we are preparing to implement a learning exchange program between pre university community of learners in Tanzania and their peers in schools in the United States. The aim of the program is to increase the opportunity for students in schools in Tanzania to study and learn with and about new friends locally and in other places. With growing evidence that an increasing world population will place greater demand for water, food, energy and shelter, the challenge of sustainability is increasing proportionately, including in our region.
\r\n\r\nA primary objective of this collaborative project is to increase the opportunity for young learners in Tanzania and other identified communities to share in a common learning and discovery experience toward a healthier local and regional community.
\r\n\r\nMore updates on the learning and exchange program will be provided
\r\n\r\n\r\n', '15996392601364859237_global_education.jpg', '1', 'winter'); -- -------------------------------------------------------- -- -- Table structure for table `projects` -- CREATE TABLE `projects` ( `id` int(12) NOT NULL, `title` varchar(200) NOT NULL, `contents` longtext NOT NULL, `date` timestamp NOT NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp() ON UPDATE current_timestamp(), `name` varchar(100) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'winter lyatuu', `photo` varchar(100) NOT NULL ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1; -- -- Dumping data for table `projects` -- INSERT INTO `projects` (`id`, `title`, `contents`, `date`, `name`, `photo`) VALUES (8, 'Capacity Building for Local Conservation Leaders in Ruvu Coastal Forest Reserve', '
Project Leader: Ms Dorah Mbogo
\r\n\r\nRuvu-South Coastal Forest Reserve forms one of the most important coastal forests in Eastern Africa coastal belt. According to BirdLife (2012), the reserve is 35,000 ha, and a mosaic of forest, woodland, thicket, swamp and grassland in Kisarawe district, It lies 6o 53’S to 7o 03’S and 38o 46’E to 39o02’E at 120 - 260m elevation above sea level, 45kms from Tanzania largest commercial city, Dar es Salaam.
\r\n\r\nThe reserve has high biodiversity and ecological values with a variety of endemic and near endemic fauna and flora species. Baker (2002) reported about twenty-five other bird species such as Anthreptes neglectus, Circaetus fasciolatus and ground thrush (Zoothera guttata). This is beside 36 mammal species in 31 genera and 19 families including the vulnerable little-collared fruit bat Myonycteris relicta and critically endangered species of spiny-throated reed frog (Hyperolius spinigularis).The forest provides fundamental ecological habitat for the endangered Sokoke Pipit (Anthus sokokensis) which is restricted mainly to the interior of the forest with Brachystegia species where it feeds on termites.
\r\n\r\nAlthough of high biodiversity and species richness, the study area is under extreme pressure from illegal logging, charcoal production, and railway and road systems passing through hence calls for immediate conservation interventions. Funded by the Rufford foundation, the project conducted conservation training and provided support to the members of the Village Natural Resources Committee, which is the body of the village council responsible for conservation and protection of all natural resources in the village. In our case, due to insufficient resources, these members collaborates with government authority in conservation of Ruvu-south coastal forest reserve. They were trained on their duties and responsibilities in participatory forest management and conservation, forest legislation, law enforcement and community training. To ensure long lasting project impacts and sustainable outcomes they were also prepared and trained to become community trainers. For more information about this project please visit at: https://dmbogo8.wixsite.com/website
\r\n\r\n\r\n', '2020-05-15 11:05:54', 'winter', '15895407541622164259_sokoke.jpg'), (9, 'Energy Saving Stoves: Potential Solution to Deforestation in Rural Tanzania', '
By Emmanuel Komba; The Executive Director, GICD
\r\n\r\nMajority of rural households in Tanzania depends on firewood for cooking, which is now becoming a scarce and expensive resource due to population growth. These households still cook using the traditional three-stone open fire hearths, which require huge loads of firewood to function and are very inefficient, i.e reportedly with a heat loss of more than 80%. This has led to an increasing deforestation and environmental degradation.
\r\n\r\nWe attended exhibition of Women’s’ day in March 2020 where we had an opportunity to raise public awareness on the importance of forest conservation and the use of energy saving stoves. We demonstrated use of energy stoves, which burn wood efficiently, reduce heat wastage and amounts of smoke. We also educated the public including secondary school students who visited us on bee keeping and tree planting activities as alternative source of income while at the same time conserving the environment.
\r\n', '2020-05-15 12:09:28', 'winter', '15895445681349331559_Komba.jpg'), (12, 'Conservation of Ruvu forest through Community based Revegetation Program', 'In 2020, GICD received a generous support from the Rufford foundation to conserve threatened species and biodiversity in the Ruvu forest reserve. The project aims at restoring and reviving ecological habitats in Ruvu-south coastal forest reserve in Tanzania. The reserve supports Eastern Arc and Coastal Forest endemic vertebrates and Important Bird Area (Baker & Baker, 2002) hosting rare and threatened forest bird species, reptiles, amphibians and plant species endemic to the Swahili Regional Centre of Endemism. The reserve is a fragile ecosystem hosting various endangered and endemic species including the globally endangered bird Anthus sokokensis commonly known as the Sokoke Pipit bird as well as recently discovered critically endangered member of montane clade amphibian spiny-throated reed frogs Hyperolius spinigularis and Hyperolius ruvuensis.
\r\n\r\nThe reserve like other sites of the endangered bird is suffering from continued forest damage from a breakdown of traditional systems of conservation, encroachment, selective logging, pole cutting and intensive charcoal burning. After the training of forest community members and empowering village leaders, this project focuses to replant highly degraded sites in order to help in restoring forest reserve and create ecologically favorable and supportive environment for endangered and threatened species.
\r\n\r\nMore updates about this project will be coming shortly
\r\n', '2020-09-08 15:41:27', 'winter', '15995796871305563144_IMG_20190829_140203_9.jpg'), (13, 'Reaching our Kids with Sustainability Message', 'Project Leader: Dorah Mbogo
\r\n\r\nIn 2020 the organization will be implementing capacity building project on Practical lessons for primary school pupils adjacent to Ruvu-south Coastal Forest Reserve. The project is generously supported by the David Tyler Trust (http://pcetrust.blogspot.com/) with the aim of introducing teachers and pupils to a participatory approach to learning, engaging them in sustainability issues relating to the Conservation of the Forest Reserve both practically and academically.
\r\n\r\nMore updates will be provided on the progress of the project.
\r\n', '2020-09-08 15:47:57', 'winter', '1599580077960038409_IMG_20200827_130946_819.jpg'); -- -- Indexes for dumped tables -- -- -- Indexes for table `admin` -- ALTER TABLE `admin` ADD PRIMARY KEY (`id`); -- -- Indexes for table `documents` -- ALTER TABLE `documents` ADD PRIMARY KEY (`id`); -- -- Indexes for table `gallery` -- ALTER TABLE `gallery` ADD PRIMARY KEY (`id`); -- -- Indexes for table `news` -- ALTER TABLE `news` ADD PRIMARY KEY (`id`); -- -- Indexes for table `projects` -- ALTER TABLE `projects` ADD PRIMARY KEY (`id`); -- -- AUTO_INCREMENT for dumped tables -- -- -- AUTO_INCREMENT for table `admin` -- ALTER TABLE `admin` MODIFY `id` int(12) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, AUTO_INCREMENT=218; -- -- AUTO_INCREMENT for table `documents` -- ALTER TABLE `documents` MODIFY `id` int(23) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, AUTO_INCREMENT=26; -- -- AUTO_INCREMENT for table `gallery` -- ALTER TABLE `gallery` MODIFY `id` int(12) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, AUTO_INCREMENT=31; -- -- AUTO_INCREMENT for table `news` -- ALTER TABLE `news` MODIFY `id` int(10) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, AUTO_INCREMENT=16; -- -- AUTO_INCREMENT for table `projects` -- ALTER TABLE `projects` MODIFY `id` int(12) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, AUTO_INCREMENT=14; COMMIT; /*!40101 SET CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */; /*!40101 SET CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */; /*!40101 SET COLLATION_CONNECTION=@OLD_COLLATION_CONNECTION */;