TERI launches Prakriti School to focus on environment education

The groundwork has been laid for providing sustainability education worldwide.

The school is TERI’s maiden initiative to promote scientific education and help children imbibe sustainable values and living practices at a time when sustainable development has become the need of the hour.

TERI Prakriti School will be a K-12 school affiliated to CBSE, with its curricula focusing on issues of sustainable development and environment conservation across the world. The session will start from April 2015.

At the inauguration of the school, Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said: “The building of any institute is not important but how you build it is important. I congratulate and compliment Ms Vaidyanathan and Dr Pachauri for their efforts. Our nature is our best teacher and teaches us very beautifully. Our civilization and lifestyle is very pro-environment… Sustainable practices are the need of 21st Century. I am glad that TERI Prakriti School will focus on life skills, knowledge, spirituality and ethos, all these values should to come from within and are important for all individuals.”

He also said that most countries talk much about climate change but do very little towards achieving it. India can be a leading example in bringing about change by adopting sustainable way of life.

He further added that the government is planning to introduce a logo for the Green Buildings so that they can be differentiated from the rest.   

Speaking at the event, R.K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said: “Protection of the environment and respect for nature is entirely a matter of values and knowledge based on the role of human beings in the larger creation around us. Imbibing these values and knowledge has to begin early in life and must be an integral part of all the subjects that we learn in school. It is for this reason that TERI is establishing this novel institution called the TERI Prakriti School wherein school children will be motivated to excel in all the subjects taught as part of the CBSE and other curricula, but with a strong foundation that inculcates reverence for nature and a focus on sustainable development.”

The school and the teachers will sensitize students on issues, such as climate change, reducing carbon footprint, proper and effective utilization of natural resources, use of renewable energy and make them responsible citizens in managing wastes from a very young age. The school will be headed by veteran educationist Mrs Lata Vaidyanathan, who has been instrumental in spearheading burden-free and green education.

Speaking at the launch, Vaidyanathan, Director, TERI Prakriti School, said: “The world is changing in an unprecedented rate. Climate change and its impact on all ecosystems is a definite threat to the survival of the human race. It is time to arrest the negative impact.  Therefore, present day schools need to give a definite bias to sustainability issues in its curriculum.  These changes can be brought in, only if there is a change of ‘climate’ within us.”

Capt. Abhimanyu, Minister for Finance, Forests and Environment, Government of Haryana, said: “I can visualize the future in the field of academics as the name signifies Prakriti, the school will endeavor in the field of knowledge and sustainability. This is a school with universal values. Also, the Chief Minister has assured all support required to build up the school.”

The first issue of The International Journal on Green Growth and Development was also released at the event.