Environmental movement is a progressive movement to build a better world and not a status quoits force neglecting development and perpetuating naked exploitation of section of humanity, natural resources or cultural excellence of a population merely for the benefit of the stronger and elites. Even the living organisms depend not only on the other living organisms but very much also on the non-living environment, We are now entering the twenty first century. The 21st century is not as distant as another century. The social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, scientific and technological facets make up the environment. Dramatically changes have, of late, occurred in all these facets. In the social arena the age old barriers are gradually crumbling, the sex bias, in a way is breathing its last; the phenomenon of social justice is fast getting abscure. The rapid developments on the economic and industrial fronts have yielded newer specialisations, and generated new demands in the labour market. The political ethics too have undergone an unprecedentedchange.
We know that the dimensions of education are determined by the ethos of the environment. In turn the practices and procedures of evaluation are designed on the basis of the content and process of education.
Multi≠cultural, multi-linguistic, multi-racial, multi-religious societies have come to be acceptable realities.
The changing role of women is becoming a phenomenon to be reckoned with. March towards democracy
is gaining place that the knowledge of science and its applications (technology) has not always worked for
the good of humanity is being increasingly realized. And, the most fundamental aspects of environment education are the awakening of critical awareness and liberalisation of a new ethic. The latter would encom-
pass understanding and relation between man and man, man and environment as well as the environment and
development. It raises questions of the nature and priorities of development in view of our past population,acute poverty and immense social disparity. How do we promote quality of life in the near future?
The alarming depletion of natural resources of the rivers, the oceans, the atmosphere and the soil is pos-
ing disturbing threats to human life, plant life and animal life. Population which has by now got stabilized
in developed countries has become a serious devouring demon of all the resources and inputs to human
welfare, in the less developed countries. Again, lack of financial resources is exerting a disabling influence
on poorer nations for making an effective use of modern expensive technology with no inexpensive alternatives in sight. This is a global phenomenon and though the present day world without wars offers a powerfully motivating situation for channeling the resources of the globe for the solution of the diverse problems that have come to beset us, we are living among uncertainties channeling.
Education has been regarded as an end in itself and as a means of realizing other desirable ends; it develops the personality and rationality of individuals, qualifies them to fulfill certain economic, political and cultural functions and thereby improves their socioeconomic status. It also provides for vertical mobility and can thereby help from different social strata. Education will have to work for the review and revitalization of traditional cultures, with the help of media and the promotion of inter-cultural contacts. Education programmes will also need to focus on catering to be extended responsibilities of the youth, in the context of a number of recent developments like the lowering of the voting age.
Further, the strategies of education will also have to be varied to fully utilize the formal, non-formal and the
informal modes. The study-work programmes will assume a special significance; educational programmes on the whole will need to be imbued with flexibility, dynamism, effectiveness and appropriateness to suit the market economy.
Preparation for vocations will also need special attention and inputs. In all this the self-learning approaches and devices and the inculcation of the ability of learning how-to-learn will be a high priority item unlike the past.
To cater to the environmental developments the educational goals will thus need to be refined and redefined. And, from among the so far neglected areas, the educational plans will have to cover areas like health and fitness, safety, personal and social qualities, interest and attitudes which will come to be of greater relevance in the future than what they have been in the past, it is not just necessary but urgent, to get over the stigma which education has come to have as an instrument of creating problems rather than solving them, by developing only irrelevant abilities, proficiencies and skills. Educated un-employed is quoted as a powerful evidence in this regard. Hence it will be necessary for education to inculcate in children and youth marketable skills required for business and industrial manpower or self employment besides the intellectual ones which anyway, will remain the alphabets for all learning.
Above all, the universalisation of elementary education has already brought about a natural pressure of population on secondary education and it has to gear itself to meet this influx. The number of secondary
schools will thus naturally increase. And this increase will also, in effect, mean a substantial increase in the
number of low achieving schools. It is, therefore, imperative that with quantitative expansion adequate attention is also devoted to qualitative improvement. For this purpose, support mechanism will further have
to be reinforced with appropriate and adequate measures for improving educational policies and strategies, instructional and evaluation material, revamping of teacher education programmes, so as to keep balance in an effective way.
The writer of this Article is the eminent educationist and erudite scholar. Recipient of National and International Awards and Honours
