The Schools' Environment Programme faces immediate closure

After nine years spent delivering quality environmental education to Jamaican teachers and students, the Schools’ Environment Programme (SEP) faces immediate closure.  Administered by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), SEP has been implemented in over 350 schools islandwide, training more than 600 teachers and over 350,000 students in the conservation and sustainable use of Jamaica’s natural resources.  

“Essentially, we rely on a mix of donor funding and a subvention from the Ministry of Education and Youth,” said Diana McCaulay, Chief Executive Office of the Jamaica Environment Trust. “We just heard that the Ministry can no longer support us.”  

Teachers who have participated in the programme over the years are also sorry to see it go. 

“The closure of SEP would be a great loss to the schools.  It is the only programme with a whole school approach.  Also, the school is also a lot greener because of SEP and the students are very enthusiastic about doing the environmental projects” said Paulette Chedda, Principal of St. Jago Cathedral Prep in St. Catherine, the National SEP Winner for 2005/6 and participating school since 2000.  

Another principal, Jeffrey Campbell, at the Inverness Primary and Infant School in St. Ann emphasised the other benefits of SEP.  She said, “We now have a better relationship with the community as students had to do community outreach projects as a requirement for SEP.  They also take more pride in keeping their environment clean.  Even my four year olds will complain if they see someone littering.” 

SEP has been scaled down from over 350 schools to just over 100 schools over the past two years because of funding constraints. 

SEP focuses on four areas: Managing Garbage, Greening of School Grounds, Environment Club and Environmental Research.  Participating schools have to implement a project in each of these four areas, as well as involve the community in some aspect of the project.  Biannual teacher training workshops are also held islandwide for principals and teachers from all schools that have been a part of the programme since its inception in 1997.

 

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