Four schools receive prestigious award

2007-03-19

Principal Mrs Maphanga (left) with Chuchekani learners and teachers, including Mrs Salma Sibiya (wearing cap).

Four Ba-Phalaborwa schools were the stars of a ceremony on 7 March where they were awarded the prestigious Eco-School green flag and certificate. Flags are awarded internationally in recognition of schools’ commitment to improving their local school environments and communities. Our local winners were Chuchekani Primary, Phalaborwa Primary, Rethusitswe Primary and St Patrick Mathibela Primary. The ceremony was held at Chuchekani Primary School in Humulani settlement near Lulekani, attended by over 150 delegates from schools, business and government.

Now in its fourth year, the programme provides schools with a tangible way of working towards both local and global goals of sustainable development. “The aim [of the Eco-Schools programme] is to provide learners with the capacity and skills to make informed decisions about their lifestyles, livelihoods and relationships with their environment”, says Hettie Gets, manager of World Wildlife Fund – South Africa (WWF-SA) Conservation Education Programme and partner of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA)/WWF-SA Eco-Schools Programme.

When schools register with the programme, both teachers and learners commit to an ongoing process of developing lesson plans and learner-centred activities that are in line with Revised National Curriculum Statements (RNCS). At least three focus areas are chosen by the learners and teachers, lesson plans are developed, and school improvement plans and records of their progress are collected in a portfolio. Portfolios are assessed at the end of a year, and successful schools gain Eco-School status and are awarded a green flag. Schools may keep their flag and status for a year, after which another portfolio is submitted and assessed.

The exciting Eco-Schools Programme is supported by the Palabora Foundation, WWF-SA and WESSA, in partnership with the Department of Education, and is funded nationally by Nampak. The programme has exceeded expectations in every sense. Since 2003, the number of schools registered with the programme around the country has increased from 56 to over 700 this year! Our four local schools were among over 200 awarded the Eco-School flag.

While Eco-Schools is an international programme that originally started in Europe in 1994, the South African initiative differs significantly from the programmes run in Europe, in that it has been re-orientated to focus on strengthening the environmental learning in the curriculum. Eco-Schools carefully helped teachers and learners to link expected learning outcomes in the national curriculum to environmental educational activities that will enhance school environments and sustainability.

The Palabora Foundation would like to thank local businesses that contributed financially to the ceremony and who also sent representatives. They were: Foto Kine Stationery, Sefapane Lodge, Spar Supermarket, Eskom Phalaborwa and the Department of Agriculture.

Local schools were represented by their principals; the Ba-Phalaborwa mayor was represented by ward councillor Mr Nkuna; the Department of Education was represented by the Namakgale circuit manager, Mr A A Homu; and The Palabora Foundation Director, Marc Demmer, also graced the occasion.

Ray Duba of The Palabora Foundation says, “We want to thank you all for your attendance and contributions. Mrs Salma Sibiya, the Environment Education Co-ordinator at the Palabora Foundation, also a teacher at Chuchekani and the entire Chuchekani staff and learners, you were great”.

For information on how to register for the 2008 Eco-School Programme, please contact Ray on 015 769 5049.

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