Strengthening development of environmental education in Malaysia : a proposed National Action Plan

This National Strategic Action Plan for Environmental Education is formulated as a result of a National Workshop on Environmental Education from 7-12th April 1997 at Air Keroh, Melaka, Malaysia. Following the Langkawi Declaration by the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and the Convention of Biodiversity in 1992, it is imperative that the present and future generations of Malaysia should be appropriately be exposed to environmental education (EE) and possessed a fair public awareness in conservation of nature and natural resources.Presently, Malaysia has been identified as one of the 20 Megadiversity country of the world and the conservation of this rich biological resources is vital to ensure high environmental quality and living standards as proposed in Vision 2020. The proposed project has the overall objectives of development of EE strengthened with an intended project purpose of EE programs objectives achieved. This project purpose could be achieved by four identified outputs which included integrated coordination, continuity of EE programs ensured, EE in Institution of higher learning emphasised, systematised planning, resource materials made available, non formal EE programs fulfilled, sufficient human resources made available and local community participation enhanced. These outputs are achievable by several activities that were being planned. In achieving integrated co-ordination, some of the important activities are to activate Technical Working Committees (TWG), to establish National Environmental Education Association (NEEA), to form National Environmental Education Council (NEEC),and to formulate National Environmental Education Plan (NEEP). For balanced programmes, activities are to develop EE course curriculum, to establish infrastructure, to implement EE programmes, and to conduct review of EE programmes. The activities for EE in institution of higher learning emphasised are to make EE compulsory for all students, to train teachers to teach EE, to build teaching resources, to establish and expand Environmental Education Nature Clubs (EENC) and to carry out research evaluation of EE programs. Systematised planning included activities to establish inter-agency steering committees at state level, and to conduct yearly workshops on EE. Activities for resources materials made available are to carry out needs assessment, to establish EE resource materials focal point, to build up capacity in desktop publishing and to promote EE via mass and electronic media (multimedia).