M.Ed. (Media Studies) / The pertinent question which is asked in this study is what is intended by the word "education" in a broadcasting context ; especially if a broadcasting corporation such as the SWABC has explicitly declared its selfimposed task to be to en tertain, to inform and to educate. It is being investigated how such education should be provided ; how it should be organised and managed ; and whether it is at all the task of the SWABC to educate, or whether the corporation is not merely entertainment and information medium. It seems that since the development of radio in the twenties and of television in the fifties both radio and TV have been used for educational, instructional and guidance purposes. From the onset the formal component and the objectives were more clearly defined than the non-formal, which have only in recent years become better defined and have taken form as far as domain , methods, target, contents and purpose are concerned. Non-formal ER and ETV are specialised broadcasting disciplines which have developed a systematic and special methodology whereby programmes modelled on scientifically identified learning needs in the community are planned, produced, broadcast and utiIised. This is more than just education; it has to be instructional in the broadest sense of the word. Knowledge and expertise invaluable to the human existence have to be conveyed. It also includes values and norms. Non-formal ER and ETV are targeted at adults and non-adults outside a school and tertiary educational context. It moves on both the pedagogical and the andragogical terrains and as a broadcasting discipline will have to draw from both pedagogy and the andragogy. Non-formal ER and ETV cannot be planned and operated in isolation by the SWABC. It has to issue forth from a national educational and development strategy. Learning deficiencies and objectives have to be determined and formulated on a national level.

Before Namibia's independence in 1990 educational programmes and curricula gave little attention to environmental education which was detrimental to the development of environmental literacy in Namibia. The post independence education reform process paid special attention to the inclusion of environmental education in all spheres of learning. Furthermore, Namibia became a signatory to various environmental conventions thereby raising awareness about the environment and the potential challenges to a sustainable future. The initiatives of various environmental education projects since independence have responded to the growing concern of environmental education programmes, resulting in the establishment of the Namibian Environmental Education Course (NEEC). To date few studies have been conducted examining the relevance of EE programmes in relation to the professional practice of EE providers in the non-formal sector. This study focuses on the work done by two environmental education providers and four assistant environmental education tutors in Rundu, in North-Eastern Namibia. The study adopted a qualitative approach to investigate how the NEEC has shaped and informed the practice of EE providers in the non-formal sector and also how the NEEC has responded to the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programme. The study employed three data collection instruments: interviews, field observations and document analysis. The findings indicated that despite the input of the NEEC programme which provided an understanding and knowledge of environmental problems to the EE providers, there are issues that continue to hamper the effective practice of these providers. The study revealed that the NEEC programme, while within the structure of ESD, does not give explicit guidelines for identifying Namibia's environmental challenges and clear strategies of how to respond to these challenges. The findings of the study have provided valuable insights into aspects of an EE programme that need to be addressed to support EE providers in responding to key environmental challenges in their regions and contribute to the decade of Education for Sustainable Development.