SINGAPORE – More schools should embrace sustainability and teach their students how to be stewards for the environment, President Halimah Yacob said Wednesday (April 20).
Madam Halimah stated that climate action was a pressing issue and should not be delayed. She was speaking to Mee Toh School during a visit ahead of Earth Day on April 22.
Punggol’s primary school is one of four pilot schools that are part of the Ministry of Education’s Eco Stewardship Program, which was announced in March 2021. The other three schools are Elias Park Primary school, Commonwealth Secondary school, and Tampine Secondary School.
However, sustainability efforts at Mee Toh began in 2007, when the school started teaching students the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle).
It has since introduced an Applied Learning Programme to students that teaches awareness, appreciation, and action for the environment.
Primary 3 students learn about food security through a farm to table programme.
They grow mushrooms and plant vegetables hydroponically. Half the harvest is sold at the canteen and half goes to the elderly.
Mee Toh hopes its pupils will continue to spread awareness and knowledge about these efforts even after they graduate, according to Eleanor Quek, science and English teacher and school’s education adviser.
Dawn Tan, a sixth grade student, is the head environmental ambassador at the school. She creates videos, campaigns, posters, and other materials to remind her peers of the importance in protecting the environment and maintaining diversity.
She said that we also plant trees and tend to the plants at school so that living things such as butterflies, birds, and lizards can enjoy a more natural environment.
My classmates and I did a lesson on carbon footprint last year. We used a carbon calculator to calculate how much carbon dioxide our activities were generating.” she said.
“We tried to reduce it after realizing the extent of the harm it causes. We informed our family members and urged everyone to use public transport, or walk, instead of their car.
MadamHalimah joined some school staff members and environmental student ambassadors to plant a tree in honor of Earth Day.
“I encourage schools to join the movement to promote environmental sustainability and integrate their school environments into a holistic way. This will hopefully instill values among the younger generation,” she said.