Determining the effectiveness of environmental education initiatives of selected government departments in South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of environmental education (EE) initiatives of selected government departments in South Africa, namely the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Water Affairs, the Department of Environmental Affairs and the City of Tshwane municipality. The literature review formed the framework within which the qualitative study was conducted. Considerable research emphasises that teachers are implementers of EE initiatives. However, these implementers are not trained in EE and on how to infuse environmental content in teaching and learning. In addition, the study investigated the factors that lead to partial or total failure of EE initiatives by the selected government departments and the City of Tshwane municipality. Fundamentally, EE initiatives are not effective and/or sustainable due to the lack of effective training of implementers, particularly teachers and subject advisors. The lack of relevant resources, coordination, and monitoring and support contributes greatly to ineffectiveness and the lack of sustainability of the initiatives. The lack of monitoring and support results in unsustainable initiatives because the teachers lose courage. The research findings revealed that the approach of having one champion in schools during the implementation of EE initiatives by partners poses some challenges, especially after the partners had left. The champion might be promoted to another school or may even be promoted in the same school. Once the champion is promoted, the responsibilities increases and the teacher then stop championing the EE programme or project. The factors mentioned above are aggravated by the lack of knowledge and skills to infuse EE initiatives because teachers regard EE initiatives as an add-on. In addition, schools lack finances to sustain EE activities and these results in schools not continuing with these activities. This study advocates that teachers and subject advisors should be effectively trained in EE to enable them to effectively infuse environmental concepts and topics in teaching and learning and make it more practical rather than theoretical. Relevant resources should be made available to teachers and monitoring and support should be considered. Effective coordination and collaboration should be taken into account to ensure sustainability of the EE initiatives. In addition, the study provides guidelines that would improve the effective implementation of EE initiatives by both implementers and partners.