"We should think globally but act locally!" - Implementation Strategies for Environmental Education in Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract

The LVCEEP (Lake Victoria Catchment Environmental Education Programme) is a Sida-funded programme carried out in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Teachers at selected project schools have undergone a special training in Environmental Education. The aim of this study is to investigate how the teachers respond to this Environmental Education; what are their implementation strategies? This is a Minor Field Study, carried out at five project schools: two in Kenya and three in Tanzania, where teachers have been interviewed. As a complimentary method, observations have been used to contextualize the results from the interviews. Our main findings are that some teachers have been a bit reluctant, whereas others have embraced the new methodology proposed by the EE training completely. This methodology emphasizes participatory, child-centred, action- oriented teaching. The project schools have carried out a number of environmental projects on the school ground and also made efforts to involve the communities. The children are now recognized as carriers of knowledge and learning as sharing experiences and perspectives. However, large classes of up to 140 pupils, lack of materials due to poor funding are obstacles that prevent the teachers when implementing the participatory methods. The theoretical framework in this study stems from the concept of Education for Sustainable Development and the international strivings for societal change through education.