Environmental education: the African dimension

Summary

In its formal pedagogical sense environmental education implies an integrated course cutting across traditional subject areas, including both the pure sciences and the social sciences. A basic objective of such a course aims to enhance in the learner an awareness, understanding and concern for the environment and its associated problems, through dissemination of knowledge, development of skill and attitudes, and inculcation of motivation and commitments pertinent to aspects of the environment in relation to human activities.

In the environment are revealed contexts — physical, biotic and social — in which man inextricably finds himself involved not only as proponent and exponent, but also as opponent of multitudes of pertinent activities. This tripartite role of man with respect to the environment necessarily raises the question of environmental education in a role that is interstitial, intercalatory and interdisciplinary; not only from the standpoint of formal pedagogy but as a general education for policy makers, the public and society at large.

Africa as an integral part of the Third World presents an example of a continental environment which is affluent in nature's variety of resources and in which human activities are varied, endogenous and exogenous. This paper attempts:

• - to examine, in perspective, the status of the African environment vis-a-vis man's role as proponent and exponent of pertinent activities;

• - to draw implications for curriculum possibilities pertinent to a rational and sustainable development within the framework of a sound environment.