Material Development
Within Uganda there is very limited availability of EE teaching material, especially those that are directly relevant to a Ugandan setting. Given the poor environmental knowledge base of the teachers, it is important to ensure that relevant materials are made available to them in order to increase the amount of EE taught in the schools. The Uganda Primary School Curriculum (UPSC) covers some content in the integrated science and agriculture curriculum but often teachers do not have the time or the skills to draw out the EE component and teach it effectively.
Based on this information, JGI-Uganda decided to develop a set of Environmental Education Teachers Guides, which integrate EE into the current UPSC. The aim of these guides was to help teachers to teach the elements of EE that are already contained within the National Curriculum and to further integrate EE into the various subjects within the curriculum.
Between 2004 and 2005 JGI developed the first of a series of Environmental Education Teacher's Guides, for Primary 5 classes. The second Guide for Primary 6/7 classes was complied in 2006-2007.
The Guide for the Primary 5 level contains four units: Soil, Air, Water and Forests. Each lesson gives a complete lesson plan and some background information for the teachers. It is written in such a way that there is no need for a training workshop to introduce the Guide. At the end of each unit there is a Roots & Shoots activity (see current programmes) which takes the pupils from knowledge to action through a service learning project. The Guide is accompanied by a set of four posters, one for each unit. The posters are used as part of the lessons in the Guide and are also a useful learning aid that can be used to teach other topics.
The Primary 6/7 Guide was developed along the same lines as the first Guide. It contains five units: Africa, East Africa and the Environment, The World of Animals, The World of Plants, Natural Resources, Human Health and Sanitation. Each of these units is accompanied by a poster. This Guide also has a section called 'Getting Active', which contains activity ideas that the pupils can do outside of class to protect the environment.
Currently under the USAID/WCS–funded WILD/West programme, JGI is preparing teachers’ guides for Primary 1 and 2.
In addition to the Teacher's Guides, JGI also promotes the distribution and use of a set of Environmental Story Books written by the late Ndyakira Amooti, a Ugandan environmental journalist and other titles as and when funding permits.
Book Titles:
What a country without animals!
What a country without birds!
What a country without grasslands!
What a country without trees!
What a country without wetlands!
Each book is written as a story and very simply and clearly imparts on the reader/listener basic ecological knowledge, an understanding of the importance of the environment and part humans play in damaging the environment. Although published in Uganda there are very few schools that can afford to purchase the books themselves.
Being written by a Ugandan these books are full of example that the teachers and students can understand and relate to. We feel that they are a good tool to bring different environmental issues to the attention of students and teachers here in Uganda.
Progress to date (as of August 2008):
a) Schools
