lundi 6 juillet 2009

An education in botanical garden in algeria

Environmental school teaches Algiers youth to preserve nature

2009-06-02

The newly-reopened botanical garden in Algiers offers an educational programme to elementary schoolchildren in the capital to learn about the importance of protecting the environment.

By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 02/06/09

[Said Jameh] Algiers students receive hands-on training in the care of plants and animals at the environmental school.

To inspire the younger generation to preserve nature, the Algerian government founded a school to teach elementary students the value of the country's natural biological diversity. The location was a natural choice; the Jardin d’Essai du Hamma in Algiers is the largest botanical garden in Algeria, receiving thousands of visitors and boasting hundreds of species of plants and animals.

At the Environmental Educational School in Hamma, elementary school students receive lessons on ways to protect and preserve the environment. The authorities hope the lessons will energise young people to consider the environment and the dangers of pollution, which are subjects not often discussed in Algeria.

The new school – the first of its kind in Algeria – is located in the heart of the botanical garden, and caters to students aged 6 to 12 years. The facility consists of three large halls.

The first is the tutoring hall, equipped with multimedia equipment and internet access. This is where students learn to read and surf the web in both Arabic and French. The second hall is a laboratory furnished with state-of-the-art technical equipment, where the children learn the names of plants, their stages of growth and details of their care. The third hall, called the "animal hall", offers a variety of small animals on display for the children to study.

The school also offers libraries of Arabic and French books on animals, plants and environmental sciences donated by Algerian publishers.

"It is noteworthy that all lecture halls are lit by energy-saving lamps, donated by the National Agency for Promotion, Rationalisation and Utilisation of Energy (PRUE)," environmental studies professor Doria Louni told Magharebia.

"Also, much of the equipment is solar-powered. Children are informed about this, in order to raise their awareness on the importance of conserving energy and the environment," she said.

In fact, everything at the small school was designed with environmental impact and study in mind.

Right at the entrance is a small farm where children are taught how to care for plants. They also learn about drip-irrigation, which prevents the excessive use of water. Even the water pump is solar-powered.

To teach children how to observe weather changes, the National Meteorological Office donated an advanced instrument that was installed in the school playground.

"We are keen on teaching children that natural resources are not renewable, and therefore ought to be conserved," Jardin d’Essai director Abderrezzaq Ziriat told Le Jour d’Algérie on May 18th. "The Environmental Educational School teaches the coming generations the concepts of sustainable development that hinge on preserving one's environment."

The Environmental School only accepts students from within the capital for now, on account of their proximity to the garden. However, interest is also growing among principals from schools in neighbouring provinces

2 commentaires:

  1. nice, youth education is the most important thing, so love and respect of nature can be a culture. We also expect the role of environmental policy forward.

    RépondreSupprimer
  2. yes the formation is like the water, we need it all times.

    RépondreSupprimer