Vol. 545 No. 4
402 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which environmental education is dealt with in schools; if he has satisfied himself that the issue is dealt with fully and comprehensively; and his proposals in this regard. [30564/01]
Social, environmental and scientific education, SESE, is a specific area of the curriculum at all levels in the primary school. The SESE curriculum seeks to enable the child to come to an understanding of the physical world, the relationship of humans with their environment, and the historical process through which that relationship has grown. The different strands of the SESE curriculum deal comprehensively, at a level appropriate to pupils of primary school age, with aspects of the human and natural environments and with environmental awareness and care. All primary school teachers are receiving in-service training in the SESE curriculum during this school year and over the next few years.
While there is no specific environmental education syllabus available at national level for second level schools, aspects of environmental education are contained in a number of subjects within the junior cycle curriculum, in the transition year and in the leaving certificate programmes. The only mandatory subject that has an element of environmental education is civic, social and political education. In CSPE under one of the seven key concepts – stewardship – pupils should be aware that, as individuals born on the planet, every person becomes a temporary owner or steward entrusted or empowered with its care and maintenance, e.g. with constructive management of its finite resources. However, within the following junior certificate subjects, geography, environmental and social studies, science, home economics there are aspects of environmental education.
At senior cycle level environmental and social studies is one of the recommended areas of experience in the transition year curriculum. At leaving certificate level, the recent revision of physics and chemistry syllabi has resulted in a greater emphasis on environmental education e.g. water treatment, water analysis, atmospheric chemistry, renewable and non-renewable sources of energy. The new biology syllabus will have a mandatory study of ecology. In addition revised syllabi in architectural and construction technology, engineering and home economics all contain elements of environmental education.
Question No. 403 answered with Question No. 377.
