To raise environmental awareness at grassroots level, student community is one of the most vital segments of society. It is not only our future but students can also prevail upon their elders to follow environmental standards. Therefore, for the broader coverage of various strata of our society and to make them aware on environment and its related issues it is very important to take student community on board for the mass level awareness on environment.
What is school environment club?
School Environmental Club is not new phenomena in developed world, even in developing world of
Asia and South Asia many schools have such clubs and their members usually work under the patronage of a teacher or a group of teachers.
Asia and South Asia many schools have such clubs and their members usually work under the patronage of a teacher or a group of teachers.
School environment clubs in Pakistan
In Pakistan the experience of establishing school environment clubs has not been so encouraging in past. In other provinces of Pakistan, efforts were made previously to set up these clubs but their existence was usually confined to papers or to some stereo-typed limited activities that too on the occasions of days of environmental significance.
In Sindh province of Pakistan during 1995 to 1999 almost seven hundred such clubs were established throughout the province and at the outset they did work for the cause of environmental awareness. But after the passage of time all of them became so formal just to convey their bosses that they are working but actually they were confined to limited activities. After a lapse of sizable time they became fully dormant and now there is no such club in any school of the province of Sindh.
Scope of school environment clubs
As far as scope of School Environmental Clubs is concerned, if there is a school there is no problem to open such club. Its establishment and continuity wholly depend upon the school where it works. But to initiate the idea of this project, the will of all stakeholders including government, non-governmental organisations, educational institution and students themselves is necessary. If they are ready to establish this type of clubs then there is no need to worry about their continuity and it all up to its members that how they run the various activities under such clubs.
Structure & Establishment
A school environment club can be established in any school with students of senior classes as its members and a teacher preferably incharge of co-curricular activities as its patron. There may be a President, Vice President, General Secretary, Joint Secretary and Office Secretary from amongst its members but the President must be from the senior most class of the school to do proper administration of the club. The club should organise various activities like speech competition, essay competition, cleanliness drive, painting competition, debate contest, factory visit, tableau show, song competition etc on monthly or bi-monthly basis.
Management of a school environment club
The in-house management of the club should be the job of the school where it exists but the management of the cluster of such clubs should be the job of a committee comprising representatives of both government and NGO sectors apart from environmental activists and environmentalists of the area. Each cluster should arrange the entire record of the clubs established therein and should send the activities of all clubs to their central network.
Stakeholders
A core committee at provincial level should be established under the chairmanship of head of the provincial EPA in each province with members from Education Department, each District Administration to initiate the establishment drive of the clubs.
Activities of a school environment club
All clubs should be independent to organise activities according to the need of their area but must pertain to environment or its related issue. It must compile its activity report and publish it in newspapers and magazine apart from releasing it at social media to motivate others follow their suite.
Finances
Finances of the activities should be arranged on self-help basis or in case of any mega event the management of the club may launch a fund-raising drive in its area to collect the funds.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation of the entire network of the clubs should be done by central network of such clubs. The main job of monitoring would be to evaluate are they working well and if they are facing any problem while working.
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