Today, on 10 March, the Minister of the Environment Mr Villu Reiljan and the Minister of Education and Research Mr Toivo Maimets signed a memorandum on common activities of the two ministries aiming to promote education supporting sustainable development, including nature and environmental education. As an appendix to the memorandum, the ministers signed the preliminary task of a national concept of education supporting sustainable development, including nature and environmental education. On the basis of this preliminary task the priorities of environmental education, related activities and spheres of responsibility of ministries will be specified for the years ahead. According to the memorandum, the ministers believe that it is important to develop cooperation in the following three domains: The development of a national concept of education supporting sustainable development, including nature and environmental education, will be launched in order to integrate the aforesaid education into the curricula of schools of general education. A sum of EEK 139,000 has been allocated in 2005 for developing the concept. From this amount, EEK 124,000 comes from the budget of the Ministry of the Environment. The concept will be developed by a working group of environmental education and education supporting sustainable development established under the Ministry of Education and Research. The representatives of both ministries, citizens’ associations and scientific research establishments (see the attached list of members of the working group) will participate in the work of this working group. Promoting activities related to nature education, environmental education and education supporting sustainable development in cooperation with non-governmental organisations. Regular communication of environmental information through the media, including the promotion of economical and environmentally friendly consumption habits and behaviour. The objective is to include means provided specially for environmental activities in the capitation fee of every pupil, to ensure that in schools of general education pupils get to know the nature in practice and are engaged in practical environmental activities, and thereby implement the subject “Environment and sustainable development” that is inherent to the curricula. In addition, one of the objectives is to restore a network of environmental education support centres for both children and adults. Providing environmental education is considered to be a priority throughout Europe. A summit of the ministers of the environment and ministers of education will be held from 17 to 18 March in Vilnius, where the European Strategy of Education Supporting Sustainable Development will be adopted. As an extension of signing the memorandum in question, the Minister of Education and Research Mr Toivo Maimets and Assistant Minister of the Ministry of the Environment Mr Olavi Tammemäe will participate in this summit. Further information: Monika Kopti |
