Mainstreaming Environmental Education in the School and Teacher Education Curriculum in Zambia

Environmental Education (EE) as a subject or field of specialization is still in its infancy in the curriculum both at teacher training and school teaching levels in Zambia. The curriculum at both levels does not provide coverage on EE as the subject is treated as a cross-cutting issue. At primary and secondary school levels there are very few experts trained in EE as a discipline. Since EE is integrated in subject teaching, issues affecting the environment are taught at the discretion of a teacher. Teaching EE is still a challenge on the part of teachers in schools in Zambia. Pupils’ understanding of EE in sampled schools was still at very low ebb. There were variations in responses between pupils coming from the low, middle and high social class areas on issues of the environment. As the Ministry of Education in Zambia is reviewing the school and teacher education curriculum, EE should be broadened in scope in order to contribute to the pupil’s overall development as well as the promotion of education for sustainable development at national level. In order to foster transformative and strong sustainability, EE under the current integrated approach is rather conservative and weak in terms of sustainability. If the curriculum is overloaded, curriculum experts should identify and remove the dead wood from the curriculum and replace it with EE. To strengthen EE in the schools and teacher education curriculum, the Ministry of Education should consider retraining teachers in appropriate methodologies in EE for sustainable development as well as developing a citizenry that is conscious and motivated to develop and manage its own environment in a sustainable manner.