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1. Environmental Public Education
and Awareness

2. Introduction
• Environmental education and awareness is increasingly being promoted as
a tool in managing our environment.
• In the 20th century serious environmental concerns like pollution, climate
change, biodiversity, etc have triggered great concern about the
relationship between humanity and the environment
• In 1978 UNESCO Tbilisi Declaration, mentioned the need for
environmental education. This Declaration Convention defined
environmental education as “ a process of developing a world
population that is aware of and concerned about the total
environment and its associated problems, and which has the
knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivation and commitment to work
individually and collectively towards solution of current problems and
the prevention of new ones”.

3. Introduction (Continues)
• Education - any act or experience that has a formative effect on the
mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical
sense education is the process by which society deliberately
transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one
generation to another.
– Formal education ( degree purpose)
– Informal education ( enhancement of skills and knowledge for
non degree purposes)
• Outreach - the provision of information or services to groups in
society who might otherwise be neglected, i.e.an outreach program
for people who cannot read
• Awareness: First stage in the process of learning about a new
product, service

4. Introduction (Continues)
• The need to continuously heighten awareness and educate the general
public on environmental issues and also promote actions that seek to
minimise damage on the environment is vital.
• Education, which includes formal education & informal programmes,
should be recognised as a process by which human beings and
societies can reach their fullest potential.
• Educations and awareness is critical for achieving environmental and
ethical awareness, values and attitudes, skills and behaviour consistent
with sustainable development and effective empowerment of the general
public in decision making.

5. Understanding the Context
• Government work is a public activity.
• Government has a constitutional obligation to inform the public.
• Position DEA as offering Though Leadership
• Development communications demands active citizen
involvement in government programs – Development is about
people
• Active engagement with citizenship ensures empowerment.
• An informed citizenry is a powerful citizenry

6. Media Profile
• SA has over 561 magazines read by just over 12 million people
• Over 15 million South Africans read newspapers, with over 29
million of them listening to the radio
• SABC is the biggest media house in the country with 15 PBS radio
stations and 3 PCBS.
• We have over 123 community radio stations.
• Over 26 million South Africans watch TV
• Vuk’uzenzele has a print order of 1,6 million copies which are
circulated in all the nine provinces

7. Strategic Objectives for Education &
Awareness
• Create and build a Human Resource capital for the environment
sector
• To inform the public and stakeholders about the unique South
African environment and its importance
• To foster behavioural change and stimulate environmental activism
• Educating the public about the policies and programmes of the
department

8. What is being Done
• There are a number of Education, Awareness and related initiatives
within the Department, its entities & Indalo Yethu.
• Winning Formula efforts include inter alia:
Sector Education, Training and Development
– Environmental Sector Skills Plan
– Environment Careers Guidance for Schools
– Eco-Schools Programme
– Capacity Building for Educators ; Biodiversity for Teachers
– National Greening Programme
– Women and Environment Forum & related events
– Local Government IDP toolkits development & training
– Clean Fires Campaign (Basa Njengo Magogo)
– Participate annually in various scientific exhibitions attended by
educators and learners.
– Kids and Parks: Partnership between DEA, DoE and SANParks.

9. What is being Done
• People and Parks: WSSD in 2002 and the World Parks Congress
in 2003 which were hosted by SA resolved that local people should
be at the forefront of biodiversity conservation as they depend on
natural resources for their livelihoods.
• South Africa’s success in achieving sustainable protection of
biodiversity hotspots, species and ecosystems will largely depend
on the extent to which we involve local people whose livelihoods
depend on these resources.

10. What is being Done
• Indalo Yethu
– Climate Change Awareness: Demystify Climate Change,
refinement of carbon calculator adapted for community use,
climate change kits for schools
– Demonstrate a link between Climate Change & development
– Green Ambassadors 2010: Build a pool eco-activists among the
youth
– Eco-Towns: Create eco conscious communities: assist
municipalities capacity. Reduce landfill volumes

11. Education and Awareness – What we need
to do
• To introduce & enhance formal and informal Environmental Education
and training programmes at schools & institutions of higher learning
• To encourage an integrated approach to environment education that
embraces multidisciplinary approach (environment and development
issues)
• To promote non-formal education and awareness activities at local
communities’ level to foster partnerships. Municipalities and NGOs
• To strengthen the role of the media as agents for the dissemination of
messages
• To empower communities to take ownership

12. How do we move Forward?
• Sector Education, Training and Development’s work must be located in
the formal curriculum development, environment sector specific
interventions in education and capacity building (learner ships and
teacher development) , to name a few. Technical oversight on the
environmental education curriculum
• Public Education and Awareness is about behavioral change and
creating a society that is empowered with information –Information Age.
• Coordination and alignment with provinces and local government on
priority campaigns
– Waste management- anti litter
– Basa nje ngo magogo- clean fires
– Climate change
– Biodiversity loss/Greening

13. END
KE A LEBOGA