Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Developing Societies: The Role of School Teachers

Abstract

This paper examined the concept of environment from different perspectives – environmentalist, ecologist, and educationist: It also examined environmental education, as the process of educating people/citizens about matters and issues that affect the environment – such as the homes, villages, cities, farmlands, water supplies, forests and weather; whose ultimate goal is for human values and behaviour, right across the entire social spectrum, from that of over exploitation of nature and ecological apathy, to a new spirit, habits, morals, ethics, ideals, principles, customs and life styles. Sustainable development is conceived as the development that meets the needs of the present generation, while guaranteeing the future needs of the unborn. This paper looked at the prevailing conditions in the developing Third World countries, and thereafter submitted that school teachers will play an invaluable role in disseminating the much needed information, aimed at imparting desirable environmental attitudes to the society at large, for the overall benefit of all. Ife Psychologia Vol.13(1) 2005: 39-54