Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) is working on a strategy to integrate environment lessons in the national education curriculum. The plan, known as the Environmental Education and Public Awareness Strategy, targets all learning institutions.

The move is part of efforts to entrench values of environment protection among Rwandans.

Sebastien Dusabeyezu, Rema’s director of environmental education and outreach, said the strategy will also determine the type of content to include in the courses.
"Environmental education in schools and universities is a new phenomenon that necessitates us to have a proper strategy to undertake,” Dusabeyezu said recently.

The plan will focus on revising education programme for schools and universities, with the aim of tackling the growing ecological problems.

Currently, there is no specific education syllabus on environmental conservation or developing an understanding of other related issues.

Dusabeyezu promised that the much-anticipated final national environmental education strategy will be availed to by end this year.

"We have to consult the Ministry of Education on how to link up environmental lessons with other ordinary lessons. That’s when we will be able to design final guidelines that will enable us achieve our goal,” he said.  

The draft document comes after five months of consultative work, involving a number of institutions directly or passively engaged in environmental conservation.
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