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The environmental education activities of the Ministry of the Environment rely on the principles of sustainable development and are based on the national curriculum. A major landmark in environmental education was the Memorandum of Cooperation, signed by the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Education and Research in 2005, which established development of environmental education as a priority for Estonia. The goal is to use the educational process to shape responsible citizens who value and care for the environment. This Memorandum replaced the Joint Action Plan of the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Education from 2000.
The two ministries prepared, in 2006, the concept of environmental education, which was acknowledged by the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Education and Research. According to the agreement between the two ministries, the Ministry of the Environment has been developing the infrastructure for practical environmental education for the past ten years, and has employed suitably trained specialists.
The Estonian Museum of Natural History operates in the government area of the Ministry of the Environment as the centre for nature education, employing three specialists on nature education, including one specialists responsible for the Russian-speaking population. Approximately 20,000 students participate in the study programmes of the Estonian Museum of Natural History in each year to complement their education under the national curriculum. Simultaneously, the museum is also providing in-service training for teachers. It is a good idea to visit the web page of the museum from time to time, because it occasionally displays virtual exhibitions based on the museum collections.
The State Forest Management Centre (SFMC) has, over the past ten years, developed a nationwide network of nature centres and has staffed them with competent specialists. The nature centres of the SFMC also offer study programmes, developed on the basis of the national curriculum, to about 20,000 students per year.
The structure of the Environmental Board includes the Department of Environmental Education, with employees in all counties. Provision of environmental education in the Environmental Board began from the obligation to present the natural assets of protected areas and national parks to the public. The Environmental Board is currently developing study programmes, based on the requirements for education on sustainable development, dealing with various aspects of environmental education, such as waste management, extraction of mineral resources, and other economic and cultural issues that affect the condition of the environment.
The Ministry of the Environment initiated the creation of an online database, which includes the contact details of the institutions that offer environmental education programmes, irrespective of affiliation or ownership, as well as study resources that support the national curriculum.
From 2005, the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of the Environment is organising a series of “Higher Environmental Courses” to increase environmental awareness among decision-makers and opinion leaders. Invitations to the courses are sent to members of parliament, county governors, mayors, local government representatives, environmental management officials, representatives of environmental organisations and others whose words and decisions can influence the processes in society. The leading officials of the Ministry of the Environment inform the participants about the development of environmental policy, Estonia’s international obligations, the links between environmental and other issues, etc.
Another important activity is the organisation of environmental schools for journalists. The journalists have taken part in our training on forestry, waste management, fisheries, and the European currency; there are a number of relevant subjects to be covered in these schools for many years to come. In these schools, specialists in their respective fields have explained to the journalists the circumstances behind various decisions.
The Environmental Education Bureau oversees the assessment of proposals submitted to the environmental awareness programme of the Environmental Investment Centre. The purpose of this programme is to allocate support for activities that raise environmental awareness of the population.
The Environmental Information Centre is operating alongside the Environmental Education Bureau and it is responsible for providing information services to the officials of the Ministry, ordering literature and information publications, as well as distributing the materials published in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment among target groups, incl. schools and libraries.
The Ministry of the Environment promotes environmental education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research and other institutions responsible for environmental education.
The head of the Environmental Education Bureau represents the Ministry of the Environment on the Estonian National Commission for UNESCO. Promotion of sustainable development throughout the world is an increasingly important area of work for UNESCO.
The Ministry of the Environment supports the promotion of sustainable development in Estonia by developing the respective infrastructure, offering continuous training to specialists in nature and environmental education, improving the study resources on sustainable development, and offering free programmes to tens of thousands of students from all over Estonia to complement the education based on national curricula. |
