The Baacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation (BKTEF), a not-for-profit and non-partisan organisation working for the promotion of peace, human rights, interfaith harmony and socio-economic development through its extended educational programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, has since its inception in 2003 made several interventions in the social sector with its main focus on education, health and youth affairs.

The organisation has recently launched a five-year plan on environmental education which will cover and address different issues related to environment. The plan will be executed in 14 schools established and run under auspices of BKTEF and 80 government and 70 private schools in the province and Fata.

The project locations include Nauhtia and Mathra (Peshawar), Chitral, Takht-i-Nasrati,  (Karak), Dargai and Totakan (Malakand agency)  Dir Upper, Swabi, Mardan, Thall (Hangu), Kohat, Charasadda and Landi Kotal (Khyber Agency). The plan will also include three government and two private schools in the close vicinity of the BKTEF institutions.

About 2,200 students, including 30,00 from BKTEF schools, of grade 7th and 8th and over 80 teachers will be trained on elected modules who then will be able to arrange environmental education classes, school competitions and environ festivals highlighting issues related to safe environment. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard has been inked between BKTEF and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministries of education and environment, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A manual is in the pipeline for making it part of the school curriculum in KP to be implemented in academic session 2013-14 in the selected schools. For this purpose, BTEF has hired the services of noted academicians and experts on environmental issues while members of the curriculum wing review committee,  KP chapter, are also on board. A one-year pilot project will be executed in the station schools which after its successful experimentation will be integrated into all KP school syllabi.

Project supervisor Khadim Hussain told Dawn: “The main objectives of the project include creating awareness among students and teachers about how to save environment from various hazards, appreciating natural habitat, birds, wildlife, clean drinking water and heritage sites for sustainable life, enhancing students’ skills for efficient behavioural management and ecological system so as to sustain life and enabling them to manage disaster and natural calamities now and in their later life.”

He added that the project would cover issues of ruthless deforestation, forestation, civic rights/responsibilities, solid waste disposal, sewerage system etc. Mr Hussain said the community would be actively engaged in the project activities. “The BKTEF in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) has worked on a number of such developmental projects in KP and Fata. The present one is expected to bring about a remarkable change among students towards safe environment and to also make them think to explain social values pragmatically that would ultimately lead to a peaceful human society.”

On practical side, the project is focusing on community participation by setting up environment clubs in the proposed schools in coordination with provincial education and environment ministries, environmental bodies and will be managed by trained students and teachers.

Prof Dr Hizbullah Khan, a teacher at the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, said: “We share most major and minor environmental issues with the whole world especially with the third developing countries. The difference is that we are yet to address them in a proper manner. We are best at paper work but very poor when it comes to practice. If through education young students are sensitised and communities are involved, we can at least help reduce the speed at which our environment  is being ruined every moment.

Being part of the said project I am fully confident that people will take interest in its execution and its end result will benefit the whole society.”

Experts believe that the present school curriculum does not offer practical solutions to issues related to safe environment and at the most one can find mere a mention of a few of them. The syllabus being taught in public sector educational institutions has no practical tools to carry out any environment safety plan. Unfortunately, it has been commonly observed that on excursions and trips to hilly stations students and teachers become part of the environment hazards.

Prominent educationist and an emeritus professor at the Khyber Medical College University, Peshawar, Prof Dr Sirjuddin Ahmad, who has written profusely on quality education and safe environment, told Dawn that in Peshawar city the average carbon monoxide level is 17 to 38 PPM against the permissible 9PPM while the dust level is ten times higher, which shows complete absence of awareness among our people irrespective of age, education and family background.

“It is only possible through a practical massive drive involving everybody to contribute towards ensuring a peaceful safe environment. Law and order in KP and Fata further aggravated the situation. We need such practical plans to avoid complete environment extinction as we have already exceeded the limits in causing serious damage to our environmental life.  Only 5 per cent curriculum mentions serious threats to our environment. Healthcare, heritage and pollution (air, water and soil) are either given little or no attention. Integrating environmental education into school syllabus is a must,” Mr Ahmed stressed.

Surprisingly enough, most teachers (let alone common people) teaching humanity sciences are unaware of the global climate change, its effects and the importance of environmental education.  Recently Khalid Khan, a resident of Takht Bhai doing his doctoral research from an online university in the UK on ‘ Integrating environmental sensitivities into school curriculum, ‘conducted a sample survey in different KP schools which revealed interesting observations.

He told this reporter: “I selected 50 top schools both in public and private sectors, and to my surprise 70 per cent teachers teaching the subjects of Pakistan Study and social studies could not differentiate between weather, climate, atmosphere and environment. About 50 per cent teachers were confused on the words - ‘heritage’ and ‘inheritance’. The students were found in pitched darkness regarding environmental issues. Only students of the schools reading O’Level were quite smart on the environment subject.”  He said more than 50 per cent hills in Dir, Kohistan and Swat had gone bald which earlier were overgrown with tall trees. Environmental education will bear fruit if implemented in its true letter and spirit,” Mr Khan added.