Sustainable development is seen as a fundamental challenge facing all societies in the twenty-first century. Since the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 there has been a growing international recognition that action must be taken to bring about a more sustainable way of living. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is fundamental to that process of change. One of the pillars for ESD is environmental education.
To measure the state of environmental education in Takamanda, in Southwest Cameroon, Environmental Governance Institute (EGI) carried out a rapid assessment in nine villages that make up the south west cluster of the Takamanda National Park(Kajifu 1 and 2, Kekukesim, Takamanda, Obonyi 3, Obonyi 1, Assam, Okpambe and Takpe). The objectives of the assessment were to (a) determine the extent to which environmental education is incorporated into local schools; (b) to assess understanding of students and community members on key environmental issues in their area; and (c) to determine the capacity of teachers to implement ESD.
Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to students from 11 schools. In total, 212 randomly selected students of classes 5 and 6 from 8 primary schools and Form 1 to 6 in secondary schools, as well as 16 teachers participated. At the community level, one focus group discussion was held with hunters and bush meat traders in each of the nine villages, reaching a total of 81 participants (65 male and 16 female).
To determine the state of environmental education in Takamanda, in Southwest Cameroon, Environmental Governance Institute (EGI) carried out a rapid assessment in nine villages that make up the south west cluster of the Takamanda National Park. (Kajifu 1 and 2, Kekukesim, Takamanda, Obonyi 3, Obonyi 1, Assam, Okpambe and Takpe). The objectives of the assessment were to (a) determine the extent to which environmental education is incorporated into local schools; (b) to assess understanding of students and community members on key environmental issues in their area; and (c) to determine the capacity of teachers to implement ESD.
