Environmental education for students pushed
UNITEAM senatorial candidate Harry Roque would push for environmental education for students from kindergarten to grade school to develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
Roque said that students must be well-informed about key environmental issues facing the world so they can develop critical and creative thinking.
He vowed to reintroduce House Bill No. 5984, which he first filed when he was a member of the House of Representatives. The bill seeks to include environmental education in the curriculum for the primary education department
Under the bill, the Department of Education (DepEd) shall ensure that the course of instruction from kindergarten to elementary school shall include a component on environmental education. Such component shall instruct students on topics including, but not limited to, recycling, energy efficiency, conservation, and climate change.
In 2008, Republic Act No. 9512 on National Environmental Awareness and Education Act was implemented to promote environmental awareness through environmental education, encompassing ecological concepts and principles and ecological laws.
Under the law, the DepEd, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should implement public education and awareness programs on environmental protection and conservation.
