The Role of the Ministry of Education in Enhancing Environmental Conservation in Southern Palestinian Governorates
Date
2023-01-14
Authors
نهى أحمد سعيد اليعقوبي
Noha Ahmed Saeed Al Yaqubi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Al-Quds University
Abstract
هدفت الدراسة إلى توضيح دور برامج وزارة التربية والتعليم في تعزيز الحفاظ على البيئة من خلال تحليل البرامج التعليمية والتوعوية التي يتم تنفيذها في المدارس الحكومية في المحافظات الجنوبية الفلسطينية.
اتبعت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي باستخدام ثلاث أدوات لجمع البيانات; استبانة ومقابلات ومجموعات بؤرية. وتم استهداف مجتمع الدراسة باستخدام طريقة الحصر الشامل بالاعتماد على أداة الاستبانة والتي تم توزيعها على 123 موظفًا بما في ذلك مديري المدارس ومنسقي المدارس الصحية ومعلمي الأندية البيئية والذين يعملون في 50 مدرسة حكومية موزعة على مديريات التربية والتعليم السبعة في محافظات جنوب فلسطين. تم استرداد 105 استبانة بنسبة استجابة بلغت (85.37٪). كما تم إجراء مقابلات مع موظفي الإدارة الوسطى والعليا العاملين في وزارة التربية والتعليم وسلطة المياه وجودة البيئة. وتم أيضا تنفيذ (2) مجموعة بؤرية من الطلاب والطالبات من الصفوف 7-11 في مديريتين تعليمتين مختلفتين.
وأوضحت الدراسة أهمية التعليم في تحسين الوعي البيئي والحفاظ على البيئة من خلال البرامج التثقيفية والتوعوية. وتتمثل أهم نتائج الدراسة في أن البرامج التعليمية الثلاثة (المدارس المستدامة بيئيًا ، وإحياء المناسبات البيئية ، والمساحات الخضراء) ، التي أقيمت في خمسين مدرسة في المديريات التعليمية السبعة ، تساهم في تعزيز الحفاظ على البيئة في المحافظات الجنوبية الفلسطينية ولكن ليس بالقدر المطلوب. و سلطت الدراسة أيضا الضوء على عدد من التحديات التي تواجه تنفيذ البرامج التعليمية ، وأهمها نقص الموارد المالية ، والإهمال في تنفيذ القوانين البيئية ، وقلة الوعي البيئي والمشاركة البيئية المجتمعية ، ونقص الشراكات الفاعلة . كما أظهرت النتائج عدم وجود فروق في ردود المبحوثين حول دور برامج وزارة التربية والتعليم في تعزيز المحافظة على البيئة نتيجة المتغيرات الديموغرافية.
وأخيرا, توصي الدراسة بضرورة دمج التعليم البيئي في المناهج الدراسية الفلسطينية في كل مرحلة دراسية ،وتطوير تنفيذ الأنشطة اللامنهجية التي تتعلق بالحفاظ على البيئة ، عقد دورات توعية بيئية للمجتمع المحلي وأولياء الأمور ,وتخصيص ميزانية محددة لبرامج التعليم / البيئة ، وتفعيل دور الإعلام البيئي ، وتطوير نظام موحد للرقابة والتقييم للبرامج التعليمية والتوعوية في المدارس ، ومراعاة تعيين مثقف بيئي بدوام كامل والمزيد من العاملين في أقسام الصحة المدرسية في المديريات التعليمية السبعة, وتعزيز دور شراكات القطاع الخاص ومؤسسات المجتمع المدني.
This study aimed to clarify the role of the MOE’s programs in promoting environmental conservation by analyzing the educational and awareness programs implemented in the public schools in the governorates of Southern Palestine. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach using three study tools for data collection; a questionnaire, interviews, and focus groups. The study population was targeted based on Census Method using a questionnaire distributed to 123 employees; including school headmasters, health school coordinators, and environmental clubs’ teachers; working at 50 public schools distributed across the seven educational directorates in the southern Palestinian governorates. Only 105 questionnaires were recovered. The response rate of the study was (85.37%). Also, interviews were held with middle and senior management employees working at the MoE and WEQA. Two focus groups of male and female students from grades 7-11 at two different educational directorates were met with. The study showed the importance of education in improving environmental awareness and conserving the environment through educational and awareness programs. The study’s foremost important results are that the three educational programs (Environmentally Sustainable Schools, Environmental Occasions’ revival, and Green Spaces), held at fifty schools in the seven educational directorates, contribute to enhancing environmental conservation in the southern Palestinian governorates but not to the required extent. The study highlighted a number of challenges facing the implementation of educational programs, such as the lack of financial resources, negligence of the implementation of environmental laws, lack of community environmental awareness and engagement, and the lack of effective partnerships. Additionally, there are no differences in the respondents' responses about the role of the Ministry of Education’s programs in enhancing environmental conservation due to demographic variables. Eventually, the study recommends the incorporation of environmental education into the Palestinian curriculum of at every grade level, developing the implementation of extracurricular environmental conservation activities, conducting environmental awareness sessions for the local community and parents, allocating a specific budget for education/environmental programs, activate the environmental media, developing a unified system for monitoring and evaluating the schools’ educational and awareness programs, and taking into account hiring a full-time environmental educator and more staff for the School Health departments in the seven educational directorates, maintaining the role of private sector partnerships and civil society institutions.
This study aimed to clarify the role of the MOE’s programs in promoting environmental conservation by analyzing the educational and awareness programs implemented in the public schools in the governorates of Southern Palestine. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach using three study tools for data collection; a questionnaire, interviews, and focus groups. The study population was targeted based on Census Method using a questionnaire distributed to 123 employees; including school headmasters, health school coordinators, and environmental clubs’ teachers; working at 50 public schools distributed across the seven educational directorates in the southern Palestinian governorates. Only 105 questionnaires were recovered. The response rate of the study was (85.37%). Also, interviews were held with middle and senior management employees working at the MoE and WEQA. Two focus groups of male and female students from grades 7-11 at two different educational directorates were met with. The study showed the importance of education in improving environmental awareness and conserving the environment through educational and awareness programs. The study’s foremost important results are that the three educational programs (Environmentally Sustainable Schools, Environmental Occasions’ revival, and Green Spaces), held at fifty schools in the seven educational directorates, contribute to enhancing environmental conservation in the southern Palestinian governorates but not to the required extent. The study highlighted a number of challenges facing the implementation of educational programs, such as the lack of financial resources, negligence of the implementation of environmental laws, lack of community environmental awareness and engagement, and the lack of effective partnerships. Additionally, there are no differences in the respondents' responses about the role of the Ministry of Education’s programs in enhancing environmental conservation due to demographic variables. Eventually, the study recommends the incorporation of environmental education into the Palestinian curriculum of at every grade level, developing the implementation of extracurricular environmental conservation activities, conducting environmental awareness sessions for the local community and parents, allocating a specific budget for education/environmental programs, activate the environmental media, developing a unified system for monitoring and evaluating the schools’ educational and awareness programs, and taking into account hiring a full-time environmental educator and more staff for the School Health departments in the seven educational directorates, maintaining the role of private sector partnerships and civil society institutions.