Part I. BACKGROUND

1. INTRODUCTION

2. MANDATE AND POLICY GUIDELINES

3. CURRENT STATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN ASEAN

    3.1 Environmental Education Concerns
    3.2 EE Initiatives
    3.3 Difficulties and Program Gaps in Implementing Country Projects on EE
    3.4 Member Countries’ Vision, Mission and Goals in EE in Relation to an ASEAN Regional Perspective
    3.5 Proposed Strategies
    3.6 Proposed Activities
    3.7 Proposed Linkages at the Regional Level

Part II. DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROCESS OF PLAN FORMULATION

4. THE PROCESS

    4.1 Information Gathering
    4.2 Validation of Country Reports and Drafting of the Plan

Part III. THE PLAN PROPER

5. VISION - MISSION STATEMENT

6. GOALS, OBJECTIVES/STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS

    Target Area 1: FORMAL EDUCATION
    Target Area 2: NONFORMAL EDUCATION
    Target Area 3: MANPOWER CAPABILITY BUILDING
    Target Area 4: NETWORKING, COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION

7. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

    7.1 Some Regional Activities
    7.2 Success Indicators of Proposed Projects Under the Plan
    7.3 Possible Funding Agencies
    7.4 Budget

8. CONCLUSION

ANNEXES

Annex 1 ACRONYMS
Annex 2 INFORMATION SOURCES

Part I. BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Environmental education (EE) has been defined as the process of helping people, through formal and nonformal/informal education, to acquire understanding, skills and values that will enable them to participate as active and informed citizens in the development of an ecologically sustainable and socially just society. It aims to make use of these knowledge and skills to preserve, conserve and utilize the environment in a sustainable manner for the benefit of present and future generations. It also involves learning how to employ new technologies, increase productivity, avoid environmental disasters, alleviate poverty, utilize new opportunities and make wise decisions. Furthermore, it involves the acquisition of skills, motivations and commitments to work individually and collectively toward the solution of existing environmental problems and the prevention of new ones.

Environmental education is not new in the region, and ASEAN countries have developed their own programmes of action since the first International Conference on EE held in Belgrade in 1975. Member countries are already pursuing various efforts on EE; though this is very commendable, no specific plan of action on EE for ASEAN had been developed prior to the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan.

Strengthening and enhancing environmental education are some of the more critical measures and approaches that have to be undertaken to develop among the people sensitivity to existing environmental problems and to be able to adopt a rational and integrated approach in managing the environment.

The Plan is expected to serve as a framework for the development and implementation of EE activities in ASEAN. It is also hoped that it will provide a holistic, dynamic and interactive EE agenda for ASEAN member countries.

Coordinating the aggressive pursuit of environmental education programmes in the ASEAN region is surely one of the longer lasting steps to address the problems of imbalance and uncertainty in the environment. As the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment for 1996-1998 very succinctly put it, “Environmental education is very important in sensitizing people, particularly students, as it helps in developing the right environmental ethic and building an environmentally responsive and responsible society.” Ultimately, the most sound and solid basis for the protection of the environment and the conservation and rational exploitation of resources are people who are aware of the possible negative environmental implications of their actuations, not only for the present generation but for future generations as well, hence, the importance of this area of cooperation.

MANDATE AND POLICY GUIDELINES

The move toward regional cooperation on the environment in ASEAN dates back to 1977 with the drafting of the first ASEAN Subregional Environment Programme (ASEP I). This was followed by ASEP II (1982 - 1987) and ASEP III (1988 - 1992). All these three programmes had, as one of six priority programme areas, Environmental Education, Training and Information.

In the Manila Declaration on the ASEAN Environment of 1981, the objective of cooperation was defined as “to ensure the protection of the ASEAN environment and the sustainability of its natural resources so that it can sustain continued development with the aim of eradicating poverty and attaining the highest possible quality of life for the people of ASEAN countries.” It enumerated a number of policy guidelines on the environment urging member countries to, among others, develop a common awareness of the environment and foster the development of environmental education programmes.

In the Bangkok Declaration on the ASEAN Environment of 1984, the ASEAN Ministers on the Environment again adopted policy guidelines on environmental matters including, among others, environmental education and training. Specifically these were:

The points of similarity of the Jakarta Resolution on Sustainable Development of 1987, the Kuala Lumpur Accord on Environment and Development of 1990, and the Singapore Resolution on Environment and Development of 1992 were the adoption by the Ministers of the principles of sustainable development and their formulation of policies and strategies for each ASEAN member country to implement in order to advance regional cooperation for sustainable development, including their agreement to formulate an ASEAN strategy and action plan for sustainable development. In the Singapore Resolution, the Ministers also agreed to continue to promote public awareness of environmental issues so as to bring about broader participation in environmental protection efforts, and to do so through greater exchange of information and experiences on approaches and strategies in environmental education.

The ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment, 1994 - 1998 provided and continues to provide a strong base for regional and subregional cooperation in ASEAN. It spelled out 10 strategies and 27 corresponding actions for the member countries to implement in order to attain its objectives in pursuit of sustainable development.

Strategy No. 9 of the Plan specifically aims to promote regional activities that strengthen the role of major groups in sustainable development, based on the realisation that the region’s ability to develop sustainably depends on the people’s capability and capacity (a) to understand environment and development issues and (b) to choose the best development objective. The ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) should therefore establish mechanisms that will motivate, educate, train and build capacities especially among the major groups identified in Agenda 21 - government, business and civil society.

The actions recommended to implement this strategy are: (1) support the publication of regional environmental magazines and newsletters; (2) strengthen regional information networks and promote exchange of expertise on environmental education programmes; and (3) develop strategic programmes of action that will strengthen the role and participation of major groups on environmental management and decision making. In connection with item 2, it was proposed that initiatives be taken to share environmental education modules that have been developed at the national levels in order to enrich the knowledge of environmental educators and trainers in the region.

In the ASEAN Vision 2020 adopted by the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN in Kuala Lumpur in 1997, they charted a vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian Nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies. In order to realize that vision, they adopted in Hanoi in 1998 the Hanoi Plan of Action, 1999 - 2004.

The Plan consists of 10 sections and numerous actions. Section No. 5 aims to promote human resource development. The actions recommended to implement this strategy are as follows:

1. Strengthen the ASEAN University Network and move forward the process of transforming it into the ASEAN University.

2. Strengthen the education systems in the ASEAN member countries by 2001 so that all groups of people, including the disadvantaged, can have equal access to basic, general and higher education.

3. Implement the ASEAN Work Programme on Informal Sector Development to provide opportunities for self-employment and entrepeneurship.

4. Implement the ASEAN Work Programme on Skills Training for Out-of-School Youth by 2004, to strengthen their capacity to obtain gainful employment.

5. Strengthen regional networking of human resource development (HRD) centres of excellence and develop the regional capacity for HRD planning and labour market monitoring.

6. Establish and strengthen networks in education and training, particularly those promoting occupational safety and health, skills training for out-of-school youth, and distance education by 2004.

7. Intensify efforts of the ASEAN Network for Women in Skills Training to enhance the capacity of disadvantaged women to enter the work force.

8. Begin to implement the ASEAN Science and Technology Human Resource Programme addressing the needs of industry and business by 2000.

9. Implement regional training programmes for ASEAN Civil Service Commissions.

10. Establish networks of professional accreditation bodies to promote regional mobility and mutual recognition of technical and professional credentials and skills standards beginning 1999.

Section 6 of the same document aims to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. Among the recommended actions to implement this strategy is enhancing public information and education in awareness of and participation in environmental and sustainable development issues.

CURRENT STATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN ASEAN

This section was based partly on the responses to a survey instrument and partly on information shared during interviews by the project consultants. It gives (a) a general description of EE concerns in ASEAN, (b) examples of EE activities at the national/local level and (c) problems/difficulties encountered by the countries in implementing their national/local projects on EE.

Environmental Education Concerns

Among the priority concerns of ASEAN member countries is how to promote greater awareness of local/national environmental problems among the youth in school and out of school, adults in government, and the rest of the population. Because of the great geographic, geologic, climatic as well as cultural differences among the ASEAN countries, the environmental problems that beset them also differ greatly. Thus, a number of countries with coastal communities are troubled by environmental problems such as marine pollution, degradation of coastal resources (i.e., coral reefs and mangrove areas), coastal erosion and sea-level rise. But many face common problems of pollution (a unique problem is the transboundary pollution from the haze emanating from Indonesia and affecting Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Malaysia); depletion or degradation of natural resources such as rapid consumption of fossil fuels, deforestation, wildlife depletion or loss of biodiversity and soil erosion; rapid growth of population with the accompanying land use changes brought about by increasing need for more living space, food and other amenities; and health and nutrition problems.

Other areas of concern stem from the need for the following: (a) human resource development for EE: teachers who can effectively teach environmental education, teachers who can write books and other instructional materials on EE for classroom use, and teacher trainers in EE; (b) more efficient integration of EE in the formal school curriculum and co-curricular programmes; (c) greater institutional/interdepartmental cooperation in planning and implementing EE activities and projects as well as networking between governmental and nongovernmental organisations; (d) greater participation by the public in EE activities and in solving environmental problems; (e) more baseline information about the local/national environment; (f) EE materials for the general public written in the local languages and in simple format (e.g., comic book style); (g) local EE textbooks for primary and secondary school learners and for tertiary level students; (h) experts on the environment to serve as consultants on EE; (i) an EE action plan at the national level for some of the member countries who do not have this yet; and (j) bigger allocation than currently approved by the governments for EE programmes at the national level to support projects such as training workshops and textbook writing.

Initiatives

It is not possible to cite in this document all the projects of each ASEAN member country in the field of environmental education. The activities being undertaken by most or all of the countries are described here as being common to all. In addition, unique activities in certain countries are also cited; this does not mean, however, that the countries not mentioned have not incorporated the same or similar activities in their own environmental education programmes.

To address the environmental issues enumerated in Section 3.1, the ASEAN member countries are undertaking varied strategies such as the following:

The initial step, of course, was for the governments to set up an implementing unit for environmental education in the pertinent ministries; examples are the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre of Brunei Darussalam’s Ministry of Education and the Public Education Department of Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment.

Common among the member countries is the effort to integrate EE in various subjects across the curriculum but in varying extent of implementation, mostly at the primary and secondary levels. In Cambodia, it is also integrated in religion education (i.e., primary monk education). In Indonesia, EE is integrated in science, social studies, religion education, Pancasila Education, civic education and other subjects in the curricula of primary and secondary schools in a limited project initiated by Hanns Seidel Foundation - Jakarta in cooperation with some university educators and school teachers. In Thailand, the 1999 Education Act promotes cross-curriculum integration of EE at the primary and secondary levels, and encourages schools to develop their own EE syllabi in line with local culture and situation and to link their learning activities with the activities of the local communities. In Malaysia, it is also incorporated in the preservice teacher education programme. In Singapore, the National Institute of Education has introduced Environmental Studies as a compulsory module for all teacher trainees in the undergraduate degree courses since 1998. This module includes field trips and investigative projects. Environmental topics are also incorporated into the formal school curriculum in primary and secondary schools, junior colleges and tertiary institutions. In the Philippines, the EE Curriculum Framework is being implemented by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Environmental Education Network of the Philippines (EENP) and the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM). In Vietnam, EE has been introduced not only in the primary and secondary schools and colleges (especially in teacher training colleges) but also in kindergarten.

In an effort to help in the implementation of the National Plan of Action on Environment, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam has set up, from 1985 to 1999, three faculties, two research institutes and nine centres on environment. These agencies are in charge of education, training, research, technology transfer and post-university education with the goal of having 5,000 university and post-university experts on environment by the year 2010.

The regional centres of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) have been undertaking significant environmental education and training initiatives in the past two years. (a) SEAMEO SEARCA in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines conducts regional training courses on sustainable agriculture with focus on conservation of soil, water, forestry and biodiversity. (b) SEAMEO BIOTROP in Bogor, Indonesia conducts training courses on environmental protection and management and offers Master of Science in Information Technology for Natural Resource Management. (c) SEAMEO RELC in Singapore has a green master plan to promote environmental education through language courses and training. The RELC Green Plan is translated into action through publications, workshops and seminars as well as promotion of clean technology and noise control management to foster an environmentally conscious community. (d) SEAMEO SPAFA in Bangkok, Thailand has undertaken a Training Course on Environmental and Conservation Archeology. This training course for archeologists and museologists provided specialized training in environmental archeology, conservation (sites and objects conservation) as well as the use of aerial photography and Geographic Remote Sensing (GRS) in the study of archeology. And (e) SEAMEO RECSAM has the “Science Across Asia Pacific” project for elementary and secondary school students in fourteen countries in the region where the students of the participating schools in the different countries exchange notes, maps and other learning materials.

In practically all the ASEAN member countries, governmental and nongovernmental organisations sponsor co-curricular EE activities for children such as camps, exhibitions, quizzes, and contests in essay writing, poetry writing, painting, poster making and photography. In Malaysia, the list of activities also includes debates on environmental issues for tertiary level students. In Brunei Darussalam, the Forestry Department supervises the Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientists Award whereby the students are encouraged to do scientific studies on forest-related environmental issues; and it coordinates with the schools’ Forestry Clubs, which undertake guided excursions to the forest in order to familiarize the students with forestry activities. Similar to the latter are the guided tours at nature reserves in Singapore and other member countries.

In Singapore, the EE projects include the annual national “Clean and Green Week” campaign which has environmental activities for schools, youth, grassroots and business organisations; the “Seashore Life Programme” for primary and secondary schools, which teaches students the harmful effects of littering on seashores and includes hands-on activities such as beach clean-ups; the “Solid Waste Management Programme” and “Wastewater Management Programme” for secondary schools, which teach students the importance of waste management in the preservation of the environment; the “Clean Rivers Education Programme” for primary schools, which includes a video show on how rivers in Singapore were cleaned up and a field trip to see the cleaned rivers; and the “Waste Minimisation Programme” which includes exhibitions and talks.

Almost invariably, the member countries conduct training of EE teachers and teacher trainers. Vietnam, Laos and some other countries also conduct seminars and workshops on environmental issues for special segments of society such as women, business executives, state employees and workers. They have mass media campaigns to encourage public participation in EE activities such as the celebration of environment-related international events like the “ASEAN Environment Year”, “World Environment Day”, “Earth Day”, “World Forestry Day”, and others.

In Thailand, NGOs and the local communities initiate and implement EE projects with emphasis on public participation. They revive environmentally sound traditional practices (indigenous knowledge) while taking on new technologies. So far, they have been addressing more green issues (generally involving forest and river conservation, about 80%) in proportion to brown issues (urban and industrial issues, not more than 20%). Furthermore, there is a national network coordinated by the Department of Environment and Quality Promotion (DEQP) which links GOs and NGOs. DEQP has established the Environmental Research and Training Center (ERTC). The role of the Center is to promote and encourage research and education programmes in environmental management for staff of government agencies, NGOs and regional organisations from ASEAN and the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS). In addition, the DEQP recently set up 27 Provincial Environmental Education Centres (PEEC) throughout Thailand to answer the local needs for EE resources.

In Myanmar, the National Women’s Affairs Commission sponsors for women various activities on food safety, income generation, energy efficiency, village nursery for forestry, and others. Similarly, the Union Solidarity Association and Development Promotion, a nongovernmental organisation, sponsors youth movements for the environment.

In Lao PDR, certain community activities related to the environment are inherent to the country’s tradition rather than formal education. For instance, students have no classes and employees have no work on Saturdays so that they can clean up the community; this is their way of rendering free labour to the society. Aside from Saturdays, they also have official special days like “Labour Day”, “Women’s Day”, and others when they render the same service to the community.

GOs and NGOs of Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and other member countries actively produce support materials for environmental education: quarterly bulletins, handbooks, booklets, video tapes and diskettes. In Singapore, the Ministry of the Environment has produced an EE activity book for kindergarten children and an environmental CD-ROM for primary school students. The Singapore Environment Council, an NGO, has produced EE sourcebooks for both primary and secondary school students. Pamphlets, posters and exhibits on EE are also produced by GOs and NGOs in Singapore. Other examples in Malaysia are the following: a teachers’ guide book for infusion of EE across the curricula of primary and secondary schools produced by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia; “Marine Education Kit” produced by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Malaysia) in collaboration with the Fisheries Department; pamphlets, brochures, pictures and posters on EE produced by GOs and NGOs (such as WWF Malaysia and Wetlands International, Asia Pacific).

There are numerous environment-based NGOs in Indonesia, numbering more than 500 in 1987-1988. Their EE activities are mainly in advocacy, education and community development and these are undertaken in cooperation with the Environmental Education Research Center of universities.

The member countries utilize print, radio and television to disseminate EE messages and information pertaining to the environment. Some countries also utilize electronic mail for this purpose.

It can be said that, generally, the ASEAN member countries are actively engaged in promoting environmental education in the government and private sectors of society, in the formal and nonformal/informal sectors of education, and at all levels of formal education (primary, secondary and tertiary). Some countries started the campaign earlier and with bigger budget and thus have accomplished more than the others. However, all are one in the desire to work for a safe and productive ASEAN environment. And all agree on the principle of regional/international cooperation including sharing of expertise and experiences in solving environmental problems, information on the environment, and EE teaching materials and strategies.

Difficulties and Programme Gaps in Implementing Country Projects on EE

Many of the ASEAN member countries realize the limited human resource or manpower for EE, referring to: (a) teachers who are knowledgeable in EE content and strategies; (b) teacher trainers; (c) writers of EE instructional materials; and (d) teachers and other personnel who can conduct community education on EE. Closely related to manpower need for EE, Cambodia expressed the need for technical assistance to effectively and efficiently conduct certain programmes on the environment. Myanmar noted the absence of tertiary level institutions in the country that offer a degree specifically in Environmental Science or Environmental Education.

A few member countries cited the following constraints: insufficient training materials as well as supplementary and reference materials on the environment; lack of public initiative for environmental education and difficulty in encouraging public participation in environmental activities; not enough networking or coordination among GOs and NGOs in planning and implementing environmental activities; lower environmental interest in tertiary level institutions compared to that in primary and secondary schools; and difficulty of teaching the affective component of EE, considering that most of environmental education is values education. Unique to Indonesia is the great number and diversity of the Indonesian population to be reached to promote environmental awareness. The Philippines cited the lack of administrative support/ political will to institutionalise EE at the tertiary level.

On one hand, a few countries cited the limited baseline information on the local/regional environment that can be used in the preparation of textbooks and references for EE. On the other hand, one of the things pointed out during the consultative meeting of UNEP-ROAP with a number of cooperating agencies held in July 1999 was the existence of a voluminous compilation of materials on the Asia-Pacific environment that need to be utilized or placed in module form for use in EE teaching and training.

Lastly, all the member countries are of the opinion that the budget set aside by the government for environmental education should be increased or additional funds be solicited to support the EE efforts of the respective governments.

Member Countries’ Vision, Mission and Goals in EE in Relation to an ASEAN Regional Perspective

The government of Brunei Darussalam recognizes that environmental education and awareness are essential for mobilising public support of and participation in environmental enhancement activities; and that effective long-term environmental management will require an informed and supportive public.

There is therefore a need to raise the level of awareness in the society - school children, the business sector, nongovernmental organisations, the general public and the government officials dealing with administration and resource management issues up to the highest administrative levels. The more the people know, are concerned with, and speak out on environmental issues, the greater and more positive is its integrative effect on the nation.

The government of Cambodia pins its hope on EE in formal education, especially for the younger generation, and on public environmental awareness for the solution of the country’s environmental problems (particularly deforestation; problems associated with floodplain and coastal fisheries; biodiversity conservation; and urban waste management).

In Indonesia, the EE Vision is that, by the year 2005, EE should have developed among the people: (a) a proper perspective of the global and regional environmental challenges, (b) networking skills to address the country’s environmental concerns (i.e., pollution control, waste management, environmental health, proper resource management, forest fire control, marine pollution, estuarine/coral reef management, etc.), and (c) a regard for the environment as ethics and moral foundation of the nation’s life paradigm to support Indonesia’s sustainable development.

Indonesia’s EE Mission includes: (a) to educate the youth (in school and out of school) towards the solution of environmental problems at the national, regional and global levels; and (b) to develop the spirit of togetherness, partnership and participation among all members of society.

The EE Goal is to develop environmental awareness, understanding, values and ethics among the people in the school and in the community.

The government of Lao PDR aims to: (a) raise the level of awareness of the people of all ages on environmental problems at the global, national and local levels and to make them acquire a basic knowledge and understanding of the environment so that they have the desire and commitment to protect the environment; and (b) help teachers acquire skills of teaching EE and motivate them to participate either individually or collectively in preventing and solving environmental problems.

In Malaysia, the goals of formal education are to: (a) educate children in order to create an environmentally aware and caring society whose members can act individually and collectively to overcome environmental problems; (b) enable children to love and care for the environment so that they will think and act wisely to preserve it; and (c) make children aware of the importance of sustainable development. The goal of nonformal/informal education is environmental awareness of the general public.

In Myanmar, the goals include: (a) EE for the formal and nonformal educational systems; (b) public participation in EE programmes; (c) environmental awareness of all members of society (from the top government officials to the general public): (d) development of human resource in EE; and (e) sustainability of the country’s economic development.

In the Philippines, the goal of environmental education is to have an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry who will ensure the protection and the improvement of the environment and bring about sustainability, social equity and economic efficiency in the use of the country’s natural resources.

In response to the challenge of the Earth Summit in Rio, the Philippine government resolved to pursue sustainable development by issuing the Philippine Agenda 21 and establishing the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development. The current Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan will ensure that policies and programmes shall be in line with the optimal use of the country’s natural resources and that economic development programmes shall consider the carrying capacity of the environment.

In Singapore, the general goals of EE are: (a) to educate all sectors of the population - children, youth, grassroots and business organizations - on environmental issues and (b) to involve the population in environmental protection.

In Thailand, the EE Vision is for environmental education to address the country’s environmental problems at present and, in the future, attend to protecting, remedying and enhancing environmental quality. The EE Mission is to encourage public awareness, responsibility and participation in environmental protection through formal and nonformal/informal education. The EE Goals are: in formal education, (a) integration of EE across the curriculum at all levels and (b) linkage of the school with the local community to develop a local EE syllabus and promote learning/understanding of environmental issues by both sides; and in nonformal/informal education, (c) public participation in EE activities at the community level and (d) promotion of environmental literacy in all sectors of society in order to create a general environmental awareness and empower local people in their efforts to manage the local environment.

In Vietnam, the goals include the following: (a) By the year 2005, EE will be incorporated in the curriculum of all school levels, aiming at greening all schools and colleges by that year; (b) EE will receive greater attention in teacher training colleges in order to facilitate and strengthen EE in primary and secondary schools; (c) the National Television Network will have at least one special environmental program of high quality per week for promoting environmental awareness; (d) by the year 2005, the government will provide EE information to communities in all areas of the country; and (e) the government will promote environmental awareness to people in all strata of society.

Proposed Strategies

Based on the difficulties and programme gaps they experienced in implementing their EE projects (Section 3.3) and to achieve the goals cited in Section 3.4, the ASEAN member countries proposed the following strategies:

Proposed Activities

To complement the proposed strategies, the ASEAN member countries have expressed interest on the following projects at the regional level:

1. Setting up an ASEAN Regional Centre for Environmental Education

2. Setting up an Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Network System at the ASEAN level

3. Setting up an EE website for ASEAN

4. Providing technical assistance on EE to new ASEAN members

5. Pilot implementation of the ASEAN EE Action Plan

At the national level, three projects were likewise proposed:

Proposed Linkages at the Regional Level

Believing in the importance of cooperation - local/national, regional and global - in the monumental task of enhancing the people’s quality of life and achieving sustainable development, the ASEAN member countries proposed the following for the region:

1. Networking among GOs and NGOs of ASEAN member countries that would: (1) provide a framework for catalyzing, coordinating and organizing EE in the region; (2) improve the delivery systems for EE at all levels of education; (3) produce and enhance manpower capability in the region; and (4) initiate mass-based action in managing the environment through information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns.
   
   

2. A regional centre for EE that will: (1) train EE teacher trainers of ASEAN; (2) produce EE support materials; (3) conduct conferences and consultative meetings to discuss regional problems in the environment and to propose collective measures to overcome said problems; and (4) serve as nerve centre of an EE information and communication network of ASEAN.
   
   

3. Linkages with UNEP, UNESCO and selected universities and colleges for technical assistance.
   Part II. DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROCESS OF PLAN FORMULATION

THE PROCESS

Information Gathering

The information gathering process consisted of three stages: It started in April 1999 with the distribution of a survey instrument to at least two government ministries/departments involved in environmental education in each of the ten ASEAN member countries. This was followed in July by a UNEP-sponsored consultative/brainstorming meeting between the ASEAN project consultants and officials of major agencies undertaking environmental education activities: UNEP, UNESCO, SEAMEO, THAITREM and MATREM.

While waiting for responses to the survey questionnaire, the project consultants visited the countries for interviews.

Validation of Country Reports and Drafting of the Plan

After consolidating the environmental education information provided by the member countries into the first draft of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan, copies of the draft were sent to the countries in preparation for a regional workshop to validate their responses and to react to the Plan. On November 9 and 10, 1999, the representatives of the countries met for a workshop in Metro Manila, Philippines for further deliberation to finalize the Plan.

After the workshop, a second draft of the Plan was prepared and sent to the workshop participants for a second round of review and comments. Subsequently, a third draft, then a fourth draft and finally a fifth draft were also prepared and sent to the countries for further review and comments.

Part III. THE PLAN PROPER

Part III is the main body of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan. It contains the ASEAN EE vision and the strategies and measures to attain it. It also contains some recommended regional activities, success indicators and funding sources.

VISION - MISSION STATEMENT

The ASEAN member countries envision a clean and green ASEAN, rich in cultural traditions (where the values and practices of the people are in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature) with citizens who are environmentally literate, imbued with environmental ethic, willing and capable to ensure the sustainable development of the region through environmental education and public participation efforts.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES/STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS

To attain the ASEAN environmental education vision, four (4) target areas, twelve (12) objectives and thirty-six (36) supporting actions are hereby recommended. The four target areas are listed below:

Target Area 1: Formal Education

Target Area 2: Nonformal Education

Target Area 3: Manpower Capability Building

Target Area 4: Networking, Collaboration and Communication

Target Area 1: FORMAL EDUCATION

Goal: Incorporation of EE at all levels of formal education

• Prepare guidelines for the development and production of EE support materials in the different formats (multimedia, module, poster, etc.).

• Conduct workshops to develop EE support materials on the local and regional environment, involving subject experts, scientists and computer technologists.

• Produce EE support materials for preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary education levels, involving classroom teachers, subject experts and computer technologists.

• Incorporate local and regional environmental issues, experiences and practices (such as indigenous farming and fishing practices) in EE support materials.

• Develop and pilot-test prototype lesson plans in different subject areas, integrating selected environmental topics and developing in learners any of the following: (a) environment-related values and attitudes; (b) networking skills (i.e., relational skills and communication skills); and (c) skills for the Information Age (i.e., use of the computer, electronic mail and fax machine).
  

Target Area 2: NONFORMAL EDUCATION

• Train facilitators for dialogues on local, regional and global environmental issues.

• Conduct multi-stakeholders’ dialogues on environmental issues.
  

Target Area 3: MANPOWER CAPABILITY BUILDING

• Encourage tertiary level institutions in ASEAN member countries to develop certificate and degree programmes in Environmental Science, Environmental Education and other related areas of specialisation.

• Invite government agencies, business, industry and NGOs to send participants to EE training courses and degree programmes.

• Solicit local and regional scholarships for environment-related training courses and academic programmes.

Target Area 4: NETWORKING, COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION

• Set up an ASEAN Environmental Education Centre that will (a) serve as a nerve centre for an EE information and communication network as well as (b) train EE teacher trainers, (c) produce EE support materials, and (d) conduct regional conferences and consultative meetings to discuss problems on the ASEAN environment and to develop collective plans of action to solve those problems. 

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

Some Regional Activities

Aside from the EE actions presented in section 6, the participants in the 1999 ASEAN workshop in Metro Manila, Philippines, believed that activities such as those listed below will keep the ASEAN spirit alive in the member countries.

For the activities listed above, the ASEAN member countries can take turns to host them.