NEWS RELEASE
November 27, 2003

For immediate release

National Consultation on Environmental Education for Sustainable Development

The National Consultation on Environmental Education for Sustainable Development will be held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, on Friday, November 28, 2003 .

Senior Director in the Ministry of Land and Environment, Ms. Leonie Barnaby and Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, Mr. Wesley Barrett, will kick-off the all-day workshop, which gets started at 8:45 a.m.

The aim of the workshop is to assess and inform about the progress made in working towards the achievement of the vision expressed in the National Environmental Education Action Plan for Sustainable Development.

It will also seek to identify gaps and action areas that need more focused effort by environmental education partners in Jamaica . Recommendations will be made for priorities for the next five years.

The National Action Plan was launched and tabled in Parliament in 1998.

It describes a vision of a sustainable future for Jamaica and presents specific goals, outcomes and activities to achieve this vision within five programme areas.

These are: t eacher professional development, curriculum development and implementation, national public awareness, community learning and resources and practices.

The programme is funded by the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Environment Action (ENACT) Programme and the consultation is sponsored by the Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP) and the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ).

Participants in the event include the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), members of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, other members of the environmental, business and NGO sectors and Jamaica's education community.