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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS ReleaseJoint Agreement in Environmental Education Signed
FEBRUARY 15 1999 A Memorandum of Understanding involving the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC), the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) and the CIDA Environmental Action Programme (ENACT) was recently signed to facilitate implementation of the National Environmental Education Action Plan for Sustainable Development (NEEAPSD) in the formal education system. Under the Joint Agreement the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) will establish A Lead Agency Focal Point that will undertake activities related to the NEEAPSD through the design and implementation of environmental education projects in the areas of curriculum development, professional development and educational policy. The Agreement was signed by Chief Education Officer, MOEC, Mr. Wesley Barrett, NRCA's Executive Director, Mr. Franklin McDonald and ENACT's Programme Manager, Jean- Joseph Bellamy. Financial and technical support for the initiative is provided by ENACT and the NRCA. The MOEC has been a key partner among some twenty-four organizations comprising the National Environmental Education Committee (NEEC) that developed the action plan in recognition of the shifting role of education as a vehicle to set the country on a path to sustainable development. The Action Plan seeks to prepare Jamaican citizens for sustainable living in the 21st Century by equipping them with the requisite knowledge, skills, values and action orientation. It identifies actions in five areas: Teacher Professional Development, Curriculum Development, National Public Awareness, Community Learning and Resources and Practices. It also sets priorities, reviews institutional mechanisms and processes and identifies the role of partner organizations and agencies. This Plan was developed under the framework defined by agenda 21, the recommendations of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development to set countries on a path to sustainable development. The Plan was launched by the Governor General in June 1998 during National Environmental Awareness Week. For More Information Contact: |