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A14 LOCAL
Wednesday 11 december 2019

Nature and Environmental Education pilot
project launched with the theme Waste

ORANJESTAD – The Minister NME) into the Aruban pri- Kennis der Natuur (Knowl-
of Education, Science and mary school curriculum edge of Nature) as part of
Sustainable Development in 2020/2021. The overrid- the World Orientation pro-
(OWDO), Dr. Armando R. ing goal of NME is to bring gram. NME will supplement
Lampe, in his vision as Min- children closer to nature this with a more hands-on
ister of Education, is intro- through a more pragmatic approach that easily trans-
ducing the supplementary and practical approach. lates into our daily lives.
Nature and Environmental NME encourages pupils to
Education (in Dutch: Nat- The Aruban curriculum al- carefully consider nature,
uur- en Milieu Educatie or ready teaches the subject hygiene, their living envi-
ronment, Aruban flora and creative and solution-fo-
fauna, and especially en- cused ways, thereby pro-
courages sustainable and viding more breadth and
responsible thinking and depth to the national cur-
behavior at a young age riculum. NME is available
with regard to a healthy from kindergarten. Hence,
lifestyle and caring for na- nature and environmen-
ture and the environment. tal awareness is stimulated
Drs. Samuel Dumfries of the and imparted at a young
Directorate of Education age and throughout pri-
Aruba (DEA) has been ap- mary school.
pointed as project leader
to develop and run the The NME pilot project cov-
pilot together with the ers three themes: Waste,
specialists of the Aruba Healthy Lifestyle and Flora
National Park Foundation & Fauna. The first theme,
(Fundacion Parke Nacio- Waste (with the lesson
nal Aruba or FPNA) dur- title Aruba Dushi Sin Sushi
ing the 2019/2020 school or ‘Aruba Lovely without
year. Four different primary Waste), was introduced to
schools will participate in the participating teachers
this pilot project. last Friday during a work-
shop at the Arikok National
Becoming aware of the Park. Waste is a broad con-
fact that nature and our cept, but what all types of
environment are inextri- waste have in common is
cably linked to who we that it is ultimately thrown
are as human beings is a away. Part of this is true
first step in solution-based waste; materials or items
thinking. Our knowledge of that can no longer be (re)
and interaction with nature used. Often there are also
is (partly) dependent on items that could be re-
what we are taught from paired, reused or recycled
home, but also during our in some other way, such as
school career. We live in a paper, glass and tin cans.
complex world with a mul- We humans produce a
titude of perspectives from lot of waste. It is better for
which to choose. In addi- the environment (and also
tion to increasing complex- for animals and humans) if
ity and versatility in infor- we become more aware
mation flows and choices, of the forms of waste and
the effects of our choices how we can reduce waste
have also become more at home, in our surround-
complex and extensive. ings and at school.
NME encourages pupils
to think and act in critical, Continued on Page 15