D.Phil. / "We would be foolish to ignore the potential for disaster in our present environmental crisis. But we would be equally foolish to ignore the potentials for constructive change." Me Innis (1975) The interaction between man and the environment has been of vital importance since earliest times as God said in Genesis (1: 26) " ... let us make a man someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life , A phenomenal development took place in the human-environment relationship due to this mastering by man and the easy access to the earth's natural resources. A highly industrialised world arose and gave way to the abuse of these resources that paved the way for the present environmental crisis. The Republic of South Africa is a unique country with unique problems. Due to the previous political dispensation the developed and developing sectors of the country had tragic implications on the environment. The previous government's attitude toward the environment caused a close protectionism and conservation action and this estranged the majority of South Africans from it. The solution to the environmental crisis will prove to be a systematic ecological view- that of sustainability. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) provides for the right of every citizen to have access to a healthy environment. The government supports Agenda 21 of the Earth Summit Conference (1992) which suggests that Environmental Education be incorporated in all facets of Education and Training which will ensure sustainability for the present an future generations. The government's Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994) which suggests that programmes be developed to generate an environmental awareness in the youth reflect this concern. The White Paper on Education and Training (1995) state amongst other aspects, that Environmental Education assist in developing environmentally literate citizens with a sustainable lifestyle. This must be done by an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to the learning process. At present, South Africa is in a transformation process, which affects all spheres of life, and this includes education and training. A curriculum based on outcomes (Curriculum 2005) is being phased into the South African education system where emphasis is placed on the learners obtaining knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Without concerted efforts at life-long education for sustainability, South Africa will not be able to become a competitive power in the world, but will face problems with regard to the sustainable use of natural resources, and this can be to the detriment to ensure sustainability for future generations. With Environmental Education as a relatively new and reasonably unknown discipline in the formal sector of an outcomes based curriculum, there are no sufficient models or exemplars, which could be referred to at with the implementation of Environmental Education. The aim of this study is to generate a model through a qualitative, descriptive, contextual and theory generating study, which will realise Environmental Education as a scientific discipline in an outcomes based education dispensation in the Republic of South Africa. The purpose of the model is to act as a reference framework for all facets of curriculisation as well as the teaching of Environmental Education in the new curriculum (Curriculum 2005) to develop environmental literate citizens, which will ensure sustainability for present and future generations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:2048 |
| Date | 27 February 2012 |
| Creators | Janse van Rensburg, William Henry |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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